The well-chronicled Russell Wilson-Denver Broncos divorce ended this past spring following underwhelming on-field results.
Although he showed improvement in his second season compared to his first season (66.4% completion rate, 26 passing touchdowns, and eight interceptions compared to 60.5% completion rate, 16 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions in 2022), the Broncos still elected to move on, with Wilson’s 11-19 record hard to debate against.
Pro Football Focus saluted Denver’s willingness to move off Wilson and highlighted their move as their best offseason transaction of 2024. Although there was a financial penalty, PFF still believed that it was worth the price.
“Yes, taking on a combined dead cap hit of $85 million to have one player not play for your franchise was the Broncos’ ‘best’ move,” Trevor Sikkema wrote on PFF’s website. “Denver bit the bullet in cutting ties with the underperforming Russell Wilson and then tried to make the most of things by securing a first-round rookie quarterback on a cost-controlled salary with a fifth-year option. The Broncos made other solid moves this offseason, but the best was simply moving on from Wilson.”
With Bo Nix, Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson now candidates to replace Wilson, Denver is believed to be better off than the team was in 2023. Even with a big “dead money” cap hit, moving on from Wilsonwas the right decision for the Broncos.
