Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson (3) Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Anonymous GM believes Broncos want to trade Russell Wilson

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 10/24/23

The only thing seemingly standing in the Denver Broncos' way of drafting a quarterback in the first round of the 2024 draft and rebuilding from the ground up is Russell Wilson and the five-year, $245 million contract the team gave him last year.

However, the Broncos may be willing to eat the $14 million in dead cap they would incur with a post-June 1 trade if they could find a taker for Wilson, according to Jason La Canfora of The Washington Post.

“New coach Sean Payton, in his first year overseeing the entire franchise, is looking to shake things up and load up on draft picks,” La Canfora said. “Who could go? ‘Who do you want?’ asked one GM, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak about internal trade talks. ‘He’d trade the quarterback right now if there was a market for him.’”

Wilson’s contract makes him nearly impossible to move. He carries a $35.4M cap hit in 2024, a $55.4M cap hit in 2025 and a $58.4M cap hit in 2026, per Over the Cap, and no team is likely to take on that kind of inflated salary unless they are handsomely compensated (presumably with a first-round pick, if not more.)

Russell Wilson's contract is looming large for the Broncos, according to @DanGrazianoESPN (@ESPNPlus) https://t.co/1HrseVltsl pic.twitter.com/TGdtPTsFgt
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) October 18, 2023

The earliest Denver could cut him without crippling itself with cap issues is 2025, when a post-June 1 release would incur only an $18.4M dead cap hit and actually result in $37M in cap savings.

If the Broncos were to trade Wilson, they would need to do it either before the Oct. 31 trade deadline or post-June 1 next offseason, when it would cost just $18.4M in dead cap and clear $17M in cap space.

It's expected that the 2-5 Broncos will be sellers. The team is mired in mediocrity and has several valuable pieces including receivers Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton, linebacker Josey Jewell, offensive lineman Garrett Bolles and safety Justin Simmons, who could bring back a decent haul of draft picks.

The Broncos currently have the No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 draft, and if the rest of the season plays out like the first seven games have, there’s a good chance they’ll be picking in the top 10, and possibly the top five.

This may take them out of the Caleb Williams sweepstakes but very much leaves open the possibility they could land another future franchise QB like Drake Maye, Michael Penix Jr., Bo Nix or J.J. McCarthy.

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