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Broncos Dodged Major Bullet With Russell Wilson Signing After $350 Million News

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matthew Sullivan | Last updated Jun 24, 2025 4:40 PM ET

The Denver Broncos made a huge mistake when they traded a lot of assets to the Seattle Seahawks for Russell Wilson, and then subsequently gave him a massive payday. But, while the move set the Broncos multiple years back, it could've been a lot worse.

After the Cleveland Browns signed Deshaun Watson to a fully guaranteed five-year deal worth $230 million, Wilson was next in line. He joined the Broncos via trade and eventually signed a five-year, $242 million deal with $161 million guaranteed.

That deal was huge at the time, and was a gross overpay for what Wilson did in Denver. But, it could've been significantly worse. According to Mike Klis of Denver 9 News, Wilson had initially asked for a fully guaranteed $350 million deal over seven years.

Broncos were criticized when they gave Russell Wilson essentially a 3-yr, $124M contract extension in 2022 when he had 2 yrs left on his deal.
But court documents from NFL/players union collusion case reveal it could have been worse.
It was stated Wilson asked for 7 yrs, $350M…
— MikeKlis9NEWS (@mikeklis9news) June 24, 2025

This massive contract demand from Wilson was only found out because Pablo Torre found and publicized a 61-page document about investigations into the NFL regarding collusion.

A lot of this stemmed from contract negotiations with quarterbacks following the Watson deal, with Wilson's deal being one of the many affected by the potential "collusion" in the NFL.

If the Broncos had indeed signed Wilson to such a huge deal, it would've been one of the worst trades and contracts signed in professional sports history. That honor goes to the Browns for their Watson trade and contract, but if Wilson got what he wanted, the Broncos would've taken up that mantle.

To say the Broncos dodged a bullet would be an understatement. Wilson was a complete disaster for the Broncos, and if he had made nearly $200 million more guaranteed, the Broncos would still be reeling from the deal until the end of the decade.

At the time, the Watson deal was viewed around the league as an anomaly. Most owners and general managers didn't think a full-guaranteed deal, especially one that expensive, would become the norm.

Wilson has a dead cap hit of $32 million for the Broncos in 2025, and that number could be a lot higher had the Broncos and Wilson agreed to his seven-year, $350 million asking price.

Denver dodged a bullet, and avoided becoming the team with the worst trade in NFL history. While it's still a terrible deal, the Broncos have rebounded, and are contenders for the AFC playoffs in 2025. The real-life Wilson deal was terrible, but it could've been so much worse.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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