NFL Rumors: Russell Wilson Likely Wouldn't Do Broncos 'Any Favors,' Approve Trade

As the Denver Broncos figure out their options with Russell Wilson heading into the offseason, one thing that may not be on the table is a trade.

Per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Wilson is unlikely to do "any favors" for the Broncos, including waiving his no-trade clause if it helps the team get out from his contract with a smaller dead-cap hit than it would face if he was released.

Head coach Sean Payton announced last week that Wilson was being benched for the final two games of the season, with Jarrett Stidham taking over as the starter.

Wilson told reporters on Dec. 29, two days after Payton's announcement, that the Broncos approached him during their Week 9 bye about altering the language in his contract related to injury guarantees or he would be benched for the remainder of the year.

Per Mark Maske of the Washington Post, the NFL Players Association sent a letter to the Broncos on Nov. 4 stating that their threat to bench Wilson over injury guarantees in his contract "was illegal" and in violation of the collective bargaining agreement.

Given the current economics of Wilson's contract, the likelihood of another team trading for him seems remote anyway.

Fowler suggested a scenario in which the Broncos include additional draft compensation for another team if an interested club would be willing to pay a portion of Wilson's $39 million salary in 2024.

This is the situation that happened in 2017 when the Cleveland Browns agreed to take on Brock Osweiler's entire $16 million salary in exchange for a 2018 second-round draft pick from the Houston Texans.

Wilson has a full no-trade clause that complicates the situation. Derek Carr effectively forced the Las Vegas Raiders to release him last offseason by refusing to agree to a trade to the New Orleans Saints.

The Raiders ultimately cut Carr, who signed with the Saints as a free agent. The Broncos can't get out of Wilson's deal quite as easily because Carr didn't have any guaranteed money left on his deal.

Denver will be facing an $85 million dead-cap charge if Wilson is released, though it can spread that figure out over two seasons if he's designated as a post-June 1 cut.

It's a significant amount of money for the Broncos to eat, but teams have shown in recent years they are willing to take the hit to reset their cap with a new quarterback.

The two largest dead-cap charges in NFL history have come in the past two years. The Atlanta Falcons had to take a $40.5 million hit when Matt Ryan was traded to the Indianapolis Colts. The Green Bay Packers absorbed a $40.3 million dead-cap charge this season after trading Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets.

Wilson's 2025 figure would be nearly $10 million more than either Rodgers or Ryan, but this seems to be the most likely scenario for the Broncos. He had a solid rebound season in 2023, but his performance wouldn't seem to be enough to convince a team to both give up draft capital to acquire him via trade and pay his $39 million salary in 2024.

The nine-time Pro Bowler has thrown for 3,070 yards, 26 touchdowns and a 66.4 completion percentage in 15 starts this season.