Amid the big news about the Denver Broncos landing quarterback Russell Wilson in a blockbuster trade, the team made another roster move, releasing a player whom fans may not have realized was still under contract for 2022.
Wide receiver DaeSean Hamilton, a Broncos fourth-round pick in 2017, was waived Tuesday, per Adam Schefter.
"Broncos are releasing WR DaeSean Hamilton today, per source. Hamilton is said to be fully recovered from the torn ACL he suffered the last off-season. Hamilton was set to be traded to SF before his injury in 2021 and the former fourth-round pick is expected to draw interest," Schefter tweeted.
Why did the Broncos need to waive him when his contract was going to expire? This goes back to a quirk in the collective bargaining agreement.
Last summer, Hamilton was injured while participating in a workout away from team facilities. He was then placed on the waived/injured list and moved to injured reserve.
Because his injury didn’t take place during organized team activities, he never accrued a fourth season toward free agency. Thus, the final year of his contract essentially rolled over into 2022.
Hamilton was set to count for $2.183M against the cap, which equaled his base salary. That salary wasn’t guaranteed, so the Broncos don’t owe him any more money.
As Schefter noted, the Broncos were preparing to trade Hamilton to the San Francisco 49ers prior to his injury. Hamilton’s release means he’ll be a street free agent and eligible to sign with any team now. Though things didn’t work out for Hamilton as expected in Denver, happy trails to the 2017 draft pick.
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