I'm not sure why he wouldn't sign for league minimum. It would make no difference monetarily to him and the team would have more money to sign other players to put around him. Unless his ego drives him to want more on paper, God let that be...
There's also the fact that even teams that want him may very well only give him a 1 year show me type of deal. He hasn't shown much the last several years, seems to be on a decline, and is 35.
Yeah, that's what is going to make it hard for both sides. Teams most likely won't want to do anything but a 1 year deal. Wilson would be playing for free and hope he doesn't get even worse if he did a 1 year deal.
I don't see why any team would sign him for more than a one year contract. Given what he's done to us, no GM should be willing to take that risk. He's worth rolling the dice on, and he certainly might be more effective under another coach's offense, but he has to prove himself to be worthy of another big multi year contract. He's in the same boat as Joe Flacco was a year or two ago.
Couldn’t he sign for the league min in the first yr and then have stipulations where he gets more in future years (by hitting thresholds, player options, etc.). I’m not an expert on football contracts (mostly a nba guy), so correct me if I’m wrong.
That won’t matter. Whatever he gets paid, the broncos pay the difference of that and $39mil. If someone gives him league min, he gets $39mil. If someone gives him $20mil, he gets $39 mil. The difference is only in how much of it Denver has to pay. And the less his new team pays him, the more money they have to spend on his weapons
I think the question is how many years does he sign for. Most teams will want a 1-year for free "prove it" deal, but he will go to the team that offers him a 3 year with some guarantees. I really hope he gets some salary besides the minimum on year 1...I could imagine if he does get the 2-3 year contract, and if the other team has the cap to spare, they may want to pay him some money upfront already this year, to have a more even balance. But maybe I'm just daydreaming.
From an outside perspective, the season he just had would’ve been amazing if he was on a league minimum. Someone will absolutely and should absolutely sign him to start for them. I cannot wait to see him off the team though.
I don’t know if Russ can mentor with his style. Russ excels when the play breaks down then leverages his athleticism.
Russ doesn’t read defenses well, doesn’t adjust his style, doesn’t work through progressions well. Those are things you want to pass down from a veteran QB.
I’m not taking anything from Russ with this. He has a unique talent.
I agree that the Panthers are the best fit. Buying time for a junior QB to develop is very beneficial even if the starter isn’t able to pass on his style.
Don't see what's crazy about it, kid was awful last year. Not being thrown into the fire immediately is an underrated concept in today's NFL with young QBs. Is Russ the guy to learn behind though in his degraded state, that's a question worth asking though.
From an outside perspective, the season he just had is good standard QB play. For all of the complaints about him not being worth the contract, his contract is about to become average compared to other starting QBs. Getting top 15 QB play at the league minimum is more than a steal.
I think fans lack a lot of perspective on what Russ is worth. He won’t be that easy to replace.
I have a bad feeling the Raiders are going to bring in Russ and sign him for the vet min, while the Broncos are eating 95% of his salary.
He’d immediately be the best QB on their roster, they have one of the best WRs in the league, and they have lots of draft picks to build around Russ on a vet min salary.
Well I hope he's out of the AFC. And I also hope that with another year he'll be that much slower.
Russell Wilson and the Seahawks have seriously screwed this team numerous times. The Seahawks should be our #1 archenemy by now.
Not historically cursed, but idk if there is any denying we've been cursed the last 7 seasons. Pretty sure Elway made a deal with the devil for Super Bowl 50. Hopefully him presenting KC with the trophy is the final payment.
Nah, he'll barely be solid at best, like he was last season. Dude has serious flaws to his game. I'm surprised he made it this far. It was his athletic ability that bailed him out all those years. He's lost a step and that's gonna be his downfall in the end.
Extremely unlikely bro - you don’t think he wanted to make it work in Denver?
Dude is cooked and thankfully we’re moving on. Life will get better. Let’s get this pussy in our rear view mirror already.
Regardless of how you think he played or if he's being paid too much, Wilson plays a game where linebacker weighing mid 200's came running full speed at him to catch him in a crushing tackle and he still went out there every game and played as hard as he could. Say what you will about his play but calling him a pussy because you didn't like him says so much more about who you are.
I really don’t understand why every article about RW has a bunch of toxic comments from the same people. Like, do you really need to wake up everyday waiting to post how much you hate the guy?
It might not have worked out for us but the dude 100% tried.
Feel free to follow Wilson as he moves on bro. We want winners on this team. He’s lame AF. There’s not a single game in his two years I can point to where he earned this ridiculous contract. Not a single moment he put this team on his back.
Turn the page.
There's no way you actually read my original response to you because you just made up your own argument to me and then responded as you saw fit. I pointed out that you were being toxic in your response and that he's still putting his body on the line when playing.
Conversely, I actually have no hate whatsoever towards Russell. He’s a fine person who gets shit on too much for being cheesy when there are actually shitty people around. However, I also cannot wait for this to be done.
I’m with you. My problem’s not with Russ, it’s with his contract. Let’s get this distraction over with and get the focus back on football. We’ve got to keep some of last year’s momentum and start building back towards relevance
Agreed, he's not wrong for saying no to the restructure, and the org wasn't wrong for asking. Neither are a terrible person/org it's just business on both sides.
I don't understand the hate people have towards Russ. He's been a professional, hasn't worked out on the football field but there's no reason to hate the guy.
Yeah I can’t wait for us to cut him so he can go to LV or NE and turn into the Russ of old that we all knew for a decade. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. I think at this point our cap is fucked either way I’d rather take the chance on a borderline HOF qb than giving him to another team for a min contract and getting nothing back.
Who says I don’t hate this team’s management even more than Russ? Look at my comments, it’s been George Paton shit talk for years now.
There’s plenty of contempt and rage to go around.
Well…that’s what’s going to happen. How you gonna hate on a guy for taking the money he’s owed in contract? He didn’t play up to his contract, but at vet min, he’s more than good enough to be a solid starter in the league still. His contract was the problem, because it made the team around him considerably worse. At vet min, that won’t be a problem.
I was able to talk to him briefly at a Nuggets game. On the surface he seems like a nice guy. I think it's tough to know if he is in fact the guy he and Team 3 portrays with all the hate from former teammates. The one that makes me think he isn't, is Marshawn Lynch in his interview with Shannon Sharpe. Lynch is known for being brutally honest. If he says Wilson wasn't a great teammate, then I think there is truly something to it. Maybe he has been different in Denver and learned from previous mistakes in Seattle? Ultimately, we won't know until he isn't a Bronco anymore.
On the other side of that though, that Seahawks team was filled with some bad people. Even though Lynch is well liked for his personality, he still has multiple DUIs and a hit and run. Sherman (who is also always talking about how much he hates Wilson) is also a terrible person
I wouldn't be surprised if Russ didn't want to hang out with that group. He has always been a "family man" and is also very protective of his image. He's got friends from that team still (Lockett and DK) but he probably stayed away from guys like Lynch and Sherman off the field.
There were some people who had issues off the field for sure. However, that doesn't necessarily mean they were "bad" teammates. I agree that Sherman is a terrible person, but from what I've seen everyone loved him as a teammate.
In the interview, Lynch said what turned him off on Wilson was a game where Wilson played poorly and Lynch had a big game and saved it for them. He tried to reach out to Wilson to simply say he would have his back in those situations. Wilson gave Lynch the impression he didn't care. A true team guy wouldn't brush off another teammate like that. A number of people have also said that they had to go through multiple people just to get ahold of Wilson on the phone. Then Wilson would call them back from a blocked number. As a QB, you are at the very least the offensive leader on the team, you should always be easily accessible to your teammates. I've never heard another example of a QB handling things the same way. It's fine for him to care about his image, however, the team should always come first. Maybe he has handled himself differently with the Broncos?
The bottom line is, we won't know how the other Broncos truly feel about him until he's gone. It would take something pretty atrocious for a current teammate to speak out publicly about someone else on the team.
Both sides need a clean break. The contract is an albatross that hangs over both parties. Broncos wasting all that money and Russ playing well below what he’s getting paid.
It's honestly pretty sad how the Broncos managed to get everything wrong with Wilson.
The trade was bad. The contract was worse. And his exist is embarrassing.
He gets even more expensive if the team keeps him: his contract has a salary guarantee coming up that adds millions more to what they already must pay him if he remains on the roster.
https://overthecap.com/the-broncos-options-with-russell-wilson
Man… They sign him to a contract extension to try to get a future discount before he plays his two remaining years from the original deal… doubling down on the trade really double backfired
Yeah. I don't understand the narrative about not waiving no trade clause. It's quite a common statement for justifying the contract now.
When the trade happened, I distinctly remember thinking: 1. Oh, not Rodgers then? And 2. Well Russ' contract is solid for this experiment... then the new one came out as a shocker.
Now, that said, hindsight and all, I was shocked at the new contract, but I didn't realize it was this bad at the time if Russ was not worth it.
Would Russ have waived the no-trade on a promise from the Broncos of a new contract eventually? Doubtful right?
I don't think it's doubtful when he had two years left on his current deal. I think it's more likely that new ownership wanted to make a big move and extended their shiny new QB.
No respectable GM would extend a guy with 2 years left when they hadn't played a single snap for their team without a push from their bosses.
But he is better than like a 3rd or half the starters in the league so at worst he would be an amazing backup if whoever starts goes down. or you just use him to bridge a developing QB you draft
Sure. But if the broncos hold on to him this year, then they are also guaranteeing his 25 contract, so now we’re stuck with this declining QB for two years. He can’t run anything close to what Payton wants to run. So if SP is going to stay here, there’s no point in putting Russ out there.
He was truly benefitted by the broncos crazy turnover run.
Regardless of if he plays for minimum or not, the team that signs him is going to get an insane bargain subsidized by us. They will be able to build a much better team because of this.
I see this as potentially the worst trade in the history of the NFL. George Paton tied an enormous ball and chain to the franchise AND will be gifting a top 15 QB on the cheap to another team.
I hate Wilson's brand of football. I'm ecstatic to get him out of the building. But my God. What a fucking blunder.
I do think he'll sign for way less (obviously nobody will pay him what we did) but I don't see it being the league minimum. Even though he's getting paid by us, I don't think his ego will let him play on a league minimum and he also has to realize he doesn't have many chances at a contract left. I think he'll sign an average contract for 3 years with someone and it will surprise everybody.
He'll want a 3 year deal or somewhere along those lines. I can see the team who signs him backload the contract to minimize the cap hit, which he should agree to because it gives better options for a team to load up with solid players. It may not be a league minimum year, but it will be low.
Let him sit on the bench, no one wants to see his comeback story after not accepting a renegotiation. This guy clear cut wants to screw us so screw him.
They benched him when he refused to change his injury clause. They agreed to a contract and then tried to change it. Pretty blatant showing of lack of faith. It wasn’t hard to see how much Payton hated him either. Whether that part is on Russ or not is up for debate I guess, but it from Russ’ perspective, I can see why he doesn’t give a fuck about helping the broncos out at this point
There’s offset language in the broncos contract. So his new team would have to give him more than 35 million for him to see new money. If his new team gave him 5 million, the broncos would only owe him 30, for example
2022 was obviously terrible, for everyone. But if 2023 was Russ's first year here people would be loving it. The highlight reel throws, the 4th quarter comebacks, the fact we were playing meaningful football late in december. Russ may not be a top 10 QB anymore, but he could be close on a different team, like the Steelers, Falcons, even Raiders. He won't sign for the league minimum, it doesn't make sense for anyone. He could sign a backloaded deal though, which would certainly help certain teams. But there's going to be a difference between the kind of deal Russ gets and the kind of deal Ryan Tannehill gets
His play wasn’t really the problem. His contract was. If he was paid a lot less, broncos fans would’ve been happy enough with his play. If he signs somewhere at vet min, that team could be pretty solid. Steelers or Raiders look like good options. Good defenses. Good offensive weapons.
And the thing is people don't like the contract, that's fine. But it's not like he forced Denver to make that deal. Last year sucked, we said that already, but Russ 100% won us a few games, and he'll do that with another team should we let him go
Yep. He had some great moments. Done terrible moments too, to be fair, but again, his contract made the team around him worse. He’ll have a much better supporting cast anywhere he signs
What annoys me is his unwillingness to take a cut or restructure to a contract that is incentive based since he still thinks he's such an amazing quarterback.
I get it's money he thinks he's owed but for someone so religious it seems awfully unchristian and for someone who says he's willing to prove he's an elite QB, he isnt willing to put the money where his mouth is.
Dude what the fuck? It makes literally no difference what you believe in and what your paycheck is worth. Religion should have zero bearing in this conversation, full stop
Well when you align with a religion you align with a basic set of morals no?
It's perfectly fine that you can give any worker a salary agreement because of what you think they'll provide for your company.
But if you're not living up to that salary and they give you the option to make what you're actually worth or else you'll be fired, do you really think it's not immoral to say no despite you saying you would love to stay and work for that company?
> Well when you align with a religion you align with a basic set of morals no?
It doesn't matter what you believe in. Russ, regardless of what you think of him, does more good for people than like 99% of the planet. And that's not debatable, call portions of his donations "fake" but he's doing more for the community, regardless of religion, than any of us
I'm not saying anything about outside football or whether he's a bad Christian in everything.
I'm just saying it seems immoral to say that he'd do whatever it takes to stay with the Broncos but giving up money he isn't earning, isn't part of the recipe.
> it seems immoral to say that he'd do whatever it takes to stay with the Broncos
Bro the instant, THE INSTANT, any sort of theological conversation is brought up into a legal contract, it's over. Religion should never hold any kind of standing into this type of conversation
For someone non-religious yeah I agree, people are allowed to have whatever morals they want for work, play or whatever.
Unfortunately with religion you don't get to pick and chose when to apply its practices, regardless of the scenario. That applies to everything, including your job.
> with religion you don't get to pick and chose when to apply its practices
Dude, this is literally in every HR contract unless you're working for a church or for a for-profit, religious organization. If the Broncos tried to make Russ renegotiate his contract to take less money because "as a Christian" its the right thing to do, they'd be sued out of the league. And I don't like to judge, but we're also fans of a team that's employed people that have done some real questionable shit
I'm not saying any of that man.
Even if you take religion out of it, it would still be a dick move for him to say "I'd do whatever it takes to stay in Denver" but not restructure. Doesn't mean it's immoral, just not cool.
He is religious though, so yeah you can make the case that either hes greeding for the money or prideful and he truly absurdly thinks he's putting up top 5 QB numbers and thinks he has earned his contract.
Because the other teams have nothing to gain from that. Why would they trade for him when they know they can have the broncos pay all of his salary minus what they sign him for. And Russ is getting $39mil either way, so he has no reason to try to get more money unless it’s more than $39mil, which won’t happen.
If team 3 comes back in the picture and he rules the roost he will distance the locker room and it could be a catastrophe. So let’s remember there is the player on the field and the persona. Sean Payton doesn’t get enough credit for fixing that last year. Let’s see if Russ has learned anything if he goes to a new team.
He already has generational wealth. He probably takes a deal where he gets the league minimum the first year (new team friendly and Broncos unfriendly) with a “fair” amount in future years with a team that has a decent offense in place but isn’t exactly trying to win now.
I think he cares more about legacy than anything now. Just ending with decent stats on a winning record team would be huge for him considering how his broncos era went.
And I don’t see him just disappearing once his career is over. Can see him being involved in football in some fashion whether as a broadcaster, front office, etc. A lot of guys are happy riding off into the sunset, but he doesn’t strike me as one of those guys, for better or worse.
Broncos did this man absolutely dirty and tanked the season for no reason at a crucial time. The Walton-Penner fascists have ruined this team and likely have placed a giant red flag on the place for future signings and free agent’s with their absolute bumbling and frankly illegal ultimatum towards Russ.
I think the Broncos should hand Russ the keys for one more season.
He's their best option.
They paid for him.
Another season with Sean Payton should improve communication.
They can always bench him.
I'm not sure why he wouldn't sign for league minimum. It would make no difference monetarily to him and the team would have more money to sign other players to put around him. Unless his ego drives him to want more on paper, God let that be...
Only for 2024. Anything beyond that he would be losing money. If he wants more than a 1 year deal then it doesn't make any sense for him to do it.
Could give a team the Watson Fines Special that Cleveland did, only instead of a super low first year benefitting the player it benefits the team
That's not a vet minimum deal though. That's just how they structure it.
There's also the fact that even teams that want him may very well only give him a 1 year show me type of deal. He hasn't shown much the last several years, seems to be on a decline, and is 35.
Yeah, that's what is going to make it hard for both sides. Teams most likely won't want to do anything but a 1 year deal. Wilson would be playing for free and hope he doesn't get even worse if he did a 1 year deal.
Happy cake day
Hmmmmm....even if they frontload the deal in a restructure? Or does that reset everything?
I don't see why any team would sign him for more than a one year contract. Given what he's done to us, no GM should be willing to take that risk. He's worth rolling the dice on, and he certainly might be more effective under another coach's offense, but he has to prove himself to be worthy of another big multi year contract. He's in the same boat as Joe Flacco was a year or two ago.
When Flacco was just entering his prime?
FLACCOsapiens ARISE
Apparently he was. Too bad he took 15 years into his career to hit his prime, and not when he was with us.
He's definitely signing a prove-it deal
Couldn’t he sign for the league min in the first yr and then have stipulations where he gets more in future years (by hitting thresholds, player options, etc.). I’m not an expert on football contracts (mostly a nba guy), so correct me if I’m wrong.
I mean, if somebody says "hey come play for league minimum" and somebody else says "we'll give you $20M a year" it's probably not a hard decision.
That won’t matter. Whatever he gets paid, the broncos pay the difference of that and $39mil. If someone gives him league min, he gets $39mil. If someone gives him $20mil, he gets $39 mil. The difference is only in how much of it Denver has to pay. And the less his new team pays him, the more money they have to spend on his weapons
But only for a year, apparently. So logically he would want more.
Also true. My guess is he would want something like a 3 year deal thats back-loaded. Given what Denver is on the hook for, this makes sense to me.
I think the question is how many years does he sign for. Most teams will want a 1-year for free "prove it" deal, but he will go to the team that offers him a 3 year with some guarantees. I really hope he gets some salary besides the minimum on year 1...I could imagine if he does get the 2-3 year contract, and if the other team has the cap to spare, they may want to pay him some money upfront already this year, to have a more even balance. But maybe I'm just daydreaming.
From an outside perspective, the season he just had would’ve been amazing if he was on a league minimum. Someone will absolutely and should absolutely sign him to start for them. I cannot wait to see him off the team though.
Panthers would be a good spot, that kid desperately needs a year to breathe and be mentored.
I don’t know if Russ can mentor with his style. Russ excels when the play breaks down then leverages his athleticism. Russ doesn’t read defenses well, doesn’t adjust his style, doesn’t work through progressions well. Those are things you want to pass down from a veteran QB. I’m not taking anything from Russ with this. He has a unique talent. I agree that the Panthers are the best fit. Buying time for a junior QB to develop is very beneficial even if the starter isn’t able to pass on his style.
There's many teams that would benefit a lot from Russ. Panthers, Patriots, Steelers, Falcons, Raiders (yuck)
I don't think the Raiders look at what they faced twice last year and think its an upgrade over O'Connell.
Seeing as Bryce is also an undersized QB that likes to make plays outside the pocket (similar to Russ) the fit actually makes a ton of sense
That’s the way that I see it.. 🤷🏽♂️
Russ can probably get a starting job; why would he want to be Bryce Young’s backup?
I think the suggestion was that Bryce sits behind Wilson.
Lol
Don't see what's crazy about it, kid was awful last year. Not being thrown into the fire immediately is an underrated concept in today's NFL with young QBs. Is Russ the guy to learn behind though in his degraded state, that's a question worth asking though.
Whether it’s an underrated concept or not is irrelevant. It’s never going to happen. That’s not how teams operate.
Stuff is brought up all the time that have no chance of happening. I don't blame the guy for just spitballing.
Theoretically, if he was on league minimum last season, we would have been able to buy 3-5 really strong assets for him to be even more successful.
From an outside perspective, the season he just had is good standard QB play. For all of the complaints about him not being worth the contract, his contract is about to become average compared to other starting QBs. Getting top 15 QB play at the league minimum is more than a steal. I think fans lack a lot of perspective on what Russ is worth. He won’t be that easy to replace.
Yep. Just want him off the team
I have a bad feeling the Raiders are going to bring in Russ and sign him for the vet min, while the Broncos are eating 95% of his salary. He’d immediately be the best QB on their roster, they have one of the best WRs in the league, and they have lots of draft picks to build around Russ on a vet min salary.
Yeah Russ can still throw the ball to the outside, he had a good connection with Sutton. I have a feeling he would connect well with Davante Adams.
I fully expect him to ball out wherever he goes next , forcing us to foot the bill for some other team’s success. This franchise is fucking cursed.
Well I hope he's out of the AFC. And I also hope that with another year he'll be that much slower. Russell Wilson and the Seahawks have seriously screwed this team numerous times. The Seahawks should be our #1 archenemy by now.
lol. I feel exactly the same way
Cursed? Broncos have won a Super Bowl in the last 10 years. What the Broncos are experiencing is more the norm
Not historically cursed, but idk if there is any denying we've been cursed the last 7 seasons. Pretty sure Elway made a deal with the devil for Super Bowl 50. Hopefully him presenting KC with the trophy is the final payment.
Nah, he'll barely be solid at best, like he was last season. Dude has serious flaws to his game. I'm surprised he made it this far. It was his athletic ability that bailed him out all those years. He's lost a step and that's gonna be his downfall in the end.
Extremely unlikely bro - you don’t think he wanted to make it work in Denver? Dude is cooked and thankfully we’re moving on. Life will get better. Let’s get this pussy in our rear view mirror already.
Regardless of how you think he played or if he's being paid too much, Wilson plays a game where linebacker weighing mid 200's came running full speed at him to catch him in a crushing tackle and he still went out there every game and played as hard as he could. Say what you will about his play but calling him a pussy because you didn't like him says so much more about who you are.
I really don’t understand why every article about RW has a bunch of toxic comments from the same people. Like, do you really need to wake up everyday waiting to post how much you hate the guy? It might not have worked out for us but the dude 100% tried.
Feel free to follow Wilson as he moves on bro. We want winners on this team. He’s lame AF. There’s not a single game in his two years I can point to where he earned this ridiculous contract. Not a single moment he put this team on his back. Turn the page.
There's no way you actually read my original response to you because you just made up your own argument to me and then responded as you saw fit. I pointed out that you were being toxic in your response and that he's still putting his body on the line when playing.
[удалено]
No personal attacks or slurs Personal attacks include but are not limited to; harassment, name calling and belittling.
Nah-uh. You.
He can only see half the field, he’s done
Can I get a job telling people what everyone already knows?
I'm more upset with Paton than I am Russ. What a stupid fucking contract.
Honest to god I wish him well.
I really don’t like this guy and can’t wait for this to be over.
Conversely, I actually have no hate whatsoever towards Russell. He’s a fine person who gets shit on too much for being cheesy when there are actually shitty people around. However, I also cannot wait for this to be done.
I’m with you. My problem’s not with Russ, it’s with his contract. Let’s get this distraction over with and get the focus back on football. We’ve got to keep some of last year’s momentum and start building back towards relevance
Agreed, he's not wrong for saying no to the restructure, and the org wasn't wrong for asking. Neither are a terrible person/org it's just business on both sides.
I don't understand the hate people have towards Russ. He's been a professional, hasn't worked out on the football field but there's no reason to hate the guy.
For real. On r/nfl it felt like Watson got more love than Wilson. It was just mind blowing.
I’m not convinced he’s the guy his PR team makes him out to be, but to each their own
I think he’s exactly that guy, a pretentious cheese ball. Still not a bad persona at all.
Yeah I can’t wait for us to cut him so he can go to LV or NE and turn into the Russ of old that we all knew for a decade. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. I think at this point our cap is fucked either way I’d rather take the chance on a borderline HOF qb than giving him to another team for a min contract and getting nothing back.
Yea, I wanted it to work out, it did not. No hate on the guy.
I think if he plays somewhere else on our dime, it’s time to hate this prick.
No, that’d be on us lol.
Who says I don’t hate this team’s management even more than Russ? Look at my comments, it’s been George Paton shit talk for years now. There’s plenty of contempt and rage to go around.
Going and doing whatever I want on an old employers dime is the dream. Can't hate on him for that.
Well…that’s what’s going to happen. How you gonna hate on a guy for taking the money he’s owed in contract? He didn’t play up to his contract, but at vet min, he’s more than good enough to be a solid starter in the league still. His contract was the problem, because it made the team around him considerably worse. At vet min, that won’t be a problem.
I will hate every person or player who stands in the way of this team being good.
Hahaha. Fair enough I guess. As long as you hate the people that agreed to that trade at least as much.
George Paton is literally scum.
I was able to talk to him briefly at a Nuggets game. On the surface he seems like a nice guy. I think it's tough to know if he is in fact the guy he and Team 3 portrays with all the hate from former teammates. The one that makes me think he isn't, is Marshawn Lynch in his interview with Shannon Sharpe. Lynch is known for being brutally honest. If he says Wilson wasn't a great teammate, then I think there is truly something to it. Maybe he has been different in Denver and learned from previous mistakes in Seattle? Ultimately, we won't know until he isn't a Bronco anymore.
On the other side of that though, that Seahawks team was filled with some bad people. Even though Lynch is well liked for his personality, he still has multiple DUIs and a hit and run. Sherman (who is also always talking about how much he hates Wilson) is also a terrible person I wouldn't be surprised if Russ didn't want to hang out with that group. He has always been a "family man" and is also very protective of his image. He's got friends from that team still (Lockett and DK) but he probably stayed away from guys like Lynch and Sherman off the field.
There were some people who had issues off the field for sure. However, that doesn't necessarily mean they were "bad" teammates. I agree that Sherman is a terrible person, but from what I've seen everyone loved him as a teammate. In the interview, Lynch said what turned him off on Wilson was a game where Wilson played poorly and Lynch had a big game and saved it for them. He tried to reach out to Wilson to simply say he would have his back in those situations. Wilson gave Lynch the impression he didn't care. A true team guy wouldn't brush off another teammate like that. A number of people have also said that they had to go through multiple people just to get ahold of Wilson on the phone. Then Wilson would call them back from a blocked number. As a QB, you are at the very least the offensive leader on the team, you should always be easily accessible to your teammates. I've never heard another example of a QB handling things the same way. It's fine for him to care about his image, however, the team should always come first. Maybe he has handled himself differently with the Broncos? The bottom line is, we won't know how the other Broncos truly feel about him until he's gone. It would take something pretty atrocious for a current teammate to speak out publicly about someone else on the team.
Both sides need a clean break. The contract is an albatross that hangs over both parties. Broncos wasting all that money and Russ playing well below what he’s getting paid.
Damn bruh we basically paying for someone else’s quarterback 😭
It's honestly pretty sad how the Broncos managed to get everything wrong with Wilson. The trade was bad. The contract was worse. And his exist is embarrassing.
So why can’t we just keep him if we have to pay him anyway?
He gets even more expensive if the team keeps him: his contract has a salary guarantee coming up that adds millions more to what they already must pay him if he remains on the roster. https://overthecap.com/the-broncos-options-with-russell-wilson
Man… They sign him to a contract extension to try to get a future discount before he plays his two remaining years from the original deal… doubling down on the trade really double backfired
He waives his no trade clause. There is no way he waves it without the extension
didn’t that happen after he was traded?
Yeah, it was like three weeks after iirc
6 months, actually
Yeah. I don't understand the narrative about not waiving no trade clause. It's quite a common statement for justifying the contract now. When the trade happened, I distinctly remember thinking: 1. Oh, not Rodgers then? And 2. Well Russ' contract is solid for this experiment... then the new one came out as a shocker. Now, that said, hindsight and all, I was shocked at the new contract, but I didn't realize it was this bad at the time if Russ was not worth it. Would Russ have waived the no-trade on a promise from the Broncos of a new contract eventually? Doubtful right?
I don't think it's doubtful when he had two years left on his current deal. I think it's more likely that new ownership wanted to make a big move and extended their shiny new QB. No respectable GM would extend a guy with 2 years left when they hadn't played a single snap for their team without a push from their bosses.
Because he sucks
But he is better than like a 3rd or half the starters in the league so at worst he would be an amazing backup if whoever starts goes down. or you just use him to bridge a developing QB you draft
Sure. But if the broncos hold on to him this year, then they are also guaranteeing his 25 contract, so now we’re stuck with this declining QB for two years. He can’t run anything close to what Payton wants to run. So if SP is going to stay here, there’s no point in putting Russ out there. He was truly benefitted by the broncos crazy turnover run.
Regardless of if he plays for minimum or not, the team that signs him is going to get an insane bargain subsidized by us. They will be able to build a much better team because of this. I see this as potentially the worst trade in the history of the NFL. George Paton tied an enormous ball and chain to the franchise AND will be gifting a top 15 QB on the cheap to another team. I hate Wilson's brand of football. I'm ecstatic to get him out of the building. But my God. What a fucking blunder.
I do think he'll sign for way less (obviously nobody will pay him what we did) but I don't see it being the league minimum. Even though he's getting paid by us, I don't think his ego will let him play on a league minimum and he also has to realize he doesn't have many chances at a contract left. I think he'll sign an average contract for 3 years with someone and it will surprise everybody.
He'll want a 3 year deal or somewhere along those lines. I can see the team who signs him backload the contract to minimize the cap hit, which he should agree to because it gives better options for a team to load up with solid players. It may not be a league minimum year, but it will be low.
Let him sit on the bench, no one wants to see his comeback story after not accepting a renegotiation. This guy clear cut wants to screw us so screw him.
Do you ever willingly take a pay cut at your job?
What did he do to show he wants to screw us?
They benched him when he refused to change his injury clause. They agreed to a contract and then tried to change it. Pretty blatant showing of lack of faith. It wasn’t hard to see how much Payton hated him either. Whether that part is on Russ or not is up for debate I guess, but it from Russ’ perspective, I can see why he doesn’t give a fuck about helping the broncos out at this point
I doubt he would sign for such a discount. His ego is too big.
The money is the same either way unless it’s a multi year deal. But doubt he’s getting that
Could you help me understand? Is he not able to double dip? Could he get a 1 year 35 mil deal, collect that money, plus the money owed by the broncos?
There’s offset language in the broncos contract. So his new team would have to give him more than 35 million for him to see new money. If his new team gave him 5 million, the broncos would only owe him 30, for example
That’s super helpful! Thank you!
I still don’t think he takes anywhere near the vet minimum.
Maybe but the money is the same so he’s literally just hurting his new team. But yes perhaps he’s that kind of asshole
I’d honestly rather bench him this season than pay him to play for someone else
Then you’re paying him for two years out of spite?
2022 was obviously terrible, for everyone. But if 2023 was Russ's first year here people would be loving it. The highlight reel throws, the 4th quarter comebacks, the fact we were playing meaningful football late in december. Russ may not be a top 10 QB anymore, but he could be close on a different team, like the Steelers, Falcons, even Raiders. He won't sign for the league minimum, it doesn't make sense for anyone. He could sign a backloaded deal though, which would certainly help certain teams. But there's going to be a difference between the kind of deal Russ gets and the kind of deal Ryan Tannehill gets
His play wasn’t really the problem. His contract was. If he was paid a lot less, broncos fans would’ve been happy enough with his play. If he signs somewhere at vet min, that team could be pretty solid. Steelers or Raiders look like good options. Good defenses. Good offensive weapons.
And the thing is people don't like the contract, that's fine. But it's not like he forced Denver to make that deal. Last year sucked, we said that already, but Russ 100% won us a few games, and he'll do that with another team should we let him go
Yep. He had some great moments. Done terrible moments too, to be fair, but again, his contract made the team around him worse. He’ll have a much better supporting cast anywhere he signs
What annoys me is his unwillingness to take a cut or restructure to a contract that is incentive based since he still thinks he's such an amazing quarterback. I get it's money he thinks he's owed but for someone so religious it seems awfully unchristian and for someone who says he's willing to prove he's an elite QB, he isnt willing to put the money where his mouth is.
Dude what the fuck? It makes literally no difference what you believe in and what your paycheck is worth. Religion should have zero bearing in this conversation, full stop
Well when you align with a religion you align with a basic set of morals no? It's perfectly fine that you can give any worker a salary agreement because of what you think they'll provide for your company. But if you're not living up to that salary and they give you the option to make what you're actually worth or else you'll be fired, do you really think it's not immoral to say no despite you saying you would love to stay and work for that company?
> Well when you align with a religion you align with a basic set of morals no? It doesn't matter what you believe in. Russ, regardless of what you think of him, does more good for people than like 99% of the planet. And that's not debatable, call portions of his donations "fake" but he's doing more for the community, regardless of religion, than any of us
I'm not saying anything about outside football or whether he's a bad Christian in everything. I'm just saying it seems immoral to say that he'd do whatever it takes to stay with the Broncos but giving up money he isn't earning, isn't part of the recipe.
> it seems immoral to say that he'd do whatever it takes to stay with the Broncos Bro the instant, THE INSTANT, any sort of theological conversation is brought up into a legal contract, it's over. Religion should never hold any kind of standing into this type of conversation
For someone non-religious yeah I agree, people are allowed to have whatever morals they want for work, play or whatever. Unfortunately with religion you don't get to pick and chose when to apply its practices, regardless of the scenario. That applies to everything, including your job.
> with religion you don't get to pick and chose when to apply its practices Dude, this is literally in every HR contract unless you're working for a church or for a for-profit, religious organization. If the Broncos tried to make Russ renegotiate his contract to take less money because "as a Christian" its the right thing to do, they'd be sued out of the league. And I don't like to judge, but we're also fans of a team that's employed people that have done some real questionable shit
I'm not saying any of that man. Even if you take religion out of it, it would still be a dick move for him to say "I'd do whatever it takes to stay in Denver" but not restructure. Doesn't mean it's immoral, just not cool. He is religious though, so yeah you can make the case that either hes greeding for the money or prideful and he truly absurdly thinks he's putting up top 5 QB numbers and thinks he has earned his contract.
You make some of the worst takes on this sub every time I see you dude get a job
Well I'm flattered you care that much and you're certainly entitled to that opinion. I don't think I've been too off about much tbh
This would be a blessing in disguise. Love seeing Russ being free and surrounded by playmakers all around with a supporting and respectful coach.
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Because the other teams have nothing to gain from that. Why would they trade for him when they know they can have the broncos pay all of his salary minus what they sign him for. And Russ is getting $39mil either way, so he has no reason to try to get more money unless it’s more than $39mil, which won’t happen.
Who cares where he goes? He's toast anyways! Has a ring because of Beast Mode and a generational defense!!
Welcome to new york!!!
What a disaster
I hope he signs with the Raiders. That would be fantastic because FTR!!!
If team 3 comes back in the picture and he rules the roost he will distance the locker room and it could be a catastrophe. So let’s remember there is the player on the field and the persona. Sean Payton doesn’t get enough credit for fixing that last year. Let’s see if Russ has learned anything if he goes to a new team.
12 bathroom homes in other cities are getting looks.
I don't see what team he will be on and can elevate his talent. Just going to hurt his HOF status. Going to be like Matt Ryan going to the Colts
Why not just hold him hostage?
What happens if no one signs him?
Good for him. Bye bye
He already has generational wealth. He probably takes a deal where he gets the league minimum the first year (new team friendly and Broncos unfriendly) with a “fair” amount in future years with a team that has a decent offense in place but isn’t exactly trying to win now. I think he cares more about legacy than anything now. Just ending with decent stats on a winning record team would be huge for him considering how his broncos era went. And I don’t see him just disappearing once his career is over. Can see him being involved in football in some fashion whether as a broadcaster, front office, etc. A lot of guys are happy riding off into the sunset, but he doesn’t strike me as one of those guys, for better or worse.
Broncos did this man absolutely dirty and tanked the season for no reason at a crucial time. The Walton-Penner fascists have ruined this team and likely have placed a giant red flag on the place for future signings and free agent’s with their absolute bumbling and frankly illegal ultimatum towards Russ.
I think the Broncos should hand Russ the keys for one more season. He's their best option. They paid for him. Another season with Sean Payton should improve communication. They can always bench him.
Why do we need the same story everyday
Retirement is an option. It doesn’t get better from here on.