Russell Wilson’s Contract Is A Problem As Denver Broncos Reach New Low

There is no quick fix in sight for the Denver Broncos.

The Broncos suffered their worst defeat of the season in a lifeless effort versus the woeful Carolina Panthers, losing 23-10. Entering a game in which they were somehow favored, Denver lost for the first time in which the outcome wasn’t decided within 10 points.

Despite facing one of the worst teams in the league, the Broncos’ offense somehow regressed in comparison to last week, with Denver failing to score a touchdown until there was 3:19 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Firing Nathaniel Hackett is a given, whether that’s on Monday morning or by the end of the season. With that being said, even if the Broncos do bring in a young offensive genius or a coach the caliber of Sean Payton — which is not happening— the franchise has some bigger issues beyond just the head coach.

Russell Wilson’s contract — the one that he signed for $245 million, making him the second-highest paid quarterback in the league — has him locked in through the 2028 season at an average annual salary of a shade under $49 million. The earliest possible out in his contract doesn’t come until the 2026 offseason, where it’ll cost the Broncos a dead cap hit of $31 million.

Wilson’s cap hit alone is worth nearly 10% of the Broncos’ salary cap next season, roughly 15% during the 2024 season and just under 18% for the 2025 season.

The contract is not only a problem considering Denver’s clear deficiencies along the offensive line — according to Pro Football Focus, the Broncos rank 16th in pass blocking — but the fact that Wilson simply looks washed.

A week after turning in his best performance of the season — he completed 77.4% of his passes, but still failed to throw a touchdown pass — Wilson looked out of sort again. Not only did he appear to be slow, but the former Pro Bowl QB looked inaccurate again.

Wilson finished the game with an ugly stat line of 19-of-35 passing (54.3% completion rate), 142 passing yards, one touchdown and one fumble lost. However, his game was actually much worse considering he padded that stat line towards the end with the Broncos’ meaningless touchdown drive.

The nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback was 9-of-13 for just 53 yards in the first half. Until their late-game touchdown, Denver had gone 18 consecutive drives without a touchdown.

Former Broncos receiver Nate Jackson pointed out how Denver sacrificed multiple draft assets just to acquire Wilson and this is what they’re getting in return.

The frustration in Denver has reached such a boiling point that defensive lineman Mike Purcell was seen mouthing off to Wilson in the midst of the Broncos’ worst loss of the season.

Entering the season, the Broncos were considered a dark horse Super Bowl contender. In fact, many pegged them as a shoe-in as a wild card playoff team.

However, no one expected to see this.

Not only are the Broncos 3-8 and one of the worst teams in the league, Wilson is one of the biggest reasons for their lackluster season.

It would be one thing if Denver hadn’t signed Wilson to a major contract extension — they did recoup some of their lost draft picks in the Bradley Chubb trade — but the bloated deal leaves the Broncos stuck with a quarterback who may not even be able to play at a decent level for the next several seasons.

Wilson has just seven touchdown passes (28th in the league) versus five interceptions for a 32.6 quarterback rating (30th in NFL) this season. He was somehow out-dueled by a first-round draft bust in Sam Darnold who was making his first start of the season.

The former elite quarterback has looked so lost this season that some are already claiming the Broncos’ trade with the Seattle Seahawks may go down as the worst in sports history.

Firing Hackett will take place any day now, but it won’t suddenly transform the Broncos into playoff contenders.

Denver has a real issue with their quarterback and it’s going to be an even bigger problem moving forward considering he’s locked in for the long term.