Russell Wilson Details Contract Dispute With Broncos

Photo via: Ron Chenoy, USA Today Sports

Recently, Russell Wilson sat down for an interview with Brandon Marshall of “I AM ATHLETE” where he provided insight into a lot of the question marks between him and the Denver Broncos. Wilson and the Broncos had a weird end to the 2023 season after he was benched for not adjusting his contract, among other reasons.

Despite the tension between the two sides, the 35-year-old Wilson, who is going into his 13th season in the league, showed his commitment to Denver, saying that he wanted to win two Super Bowls with the franchise.

“I committed there, I wanted to be there,” Wilson said on the podcast.

 In the 2023 season, Wilson was benched for the team’s final two games so he didn’t get injured. There was a clause in his contract that guaranteed $37 million dollars if he got hurt in the 2023 season and couldn’t pass a physical at the start of the 2024 league year.

Wilson clarified what happened with the contract on the podcast. He said that he was contacted by the Broncos during their bye week that he would be benched for the final nine games of the season if he didn’t change his contract to remove the clause. This came after the Broncos defeated the Kansas City Chiefs for the first time since 2015. Something similar happened to Derek Carr of the Raiders in 2022, but the difference is that the Broncos were in the middle of turning their season around when he was approached about the contract. Carr was approached towards the end of the season when the Raiders were out of the playoff hunt.

Wilson said that he had to remain professional about it and that the only other player on the team who knew about it was Courtland Sutton. He put professionalism first and took the higher road and continued to play some of his best football during his time in Denver while knowing that he was going to be benched at some point.

This week at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Broncos Head Coach Sean Payton said that while the team hasn’t decided on Wilson’s future in the navy and orange, a decision can be expected to be made within the next two weeks. If Wilson isn’t back in Denver for the upcoming season, teams such as Atlanta and Pittsburgh have been rumored to be potential landing spots for the veteran QB.