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Russell Wilson’s release leaves Broncos with biggest ‘dead money’ cap hit in NFL history

jon heath
·3 min read
16

When the Denver Broncos acquired quarterback Russell Wilson in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks in 2022, it cost the team three players and five draft picks in a blockbuster deal.

As bad as that trade compensation looks in hindsight, the team’s next move was an even bigger blunder.

Before he even played a down in Denver, the Broncos gave Wilson a five-year, $245 million contract extension. He still had two years left on his existing contract, but with a no-trade clause, Wilson was able to demand a new contract from his next club during trade talks in 2022.

Denver likely had an unofficial agreement with Wilson’s agent that the QB would get an extension from the team after the trade went through. After the trade, Wilson ended up playing two seasons with the Broncos before getting released.

Denver is now set to part with Wilson before his five-year extension kicks in, and it will be a costly decision. Over the next two years, the Broncos will eat $85 million in “dead money” — money that has been or will be paid to Wilson even though he’s no longer on the team.

That marks the biggest dead money cap hit for a single player in NFL history, more than double the previous records held by Matt Ryan ($40.53 million) and Aaron Rodgers ($40.31 million).

Trading for Wilson was a mistake. Giving him a massive contract made it even worse.

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Story originally appeared on Broncos Wire