Broncos have officially released QB Russell Wilson who will officially sign with the Steelers

The Russell Wilson era in Denver is officially over but the lasting consequences of this failure will be felt for awhile.

It is officially over. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Broncos have officially released quarterback Russell Wilson with a post-June 1st designation.

The 2 pm ET deadline has passed and the new league year is here. This means, the Broncos release of former quarterback Russell Wilson is now official and now, he can officially sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

General Manager George Paton and Head Coach Sean Payton released a joint statement on their decision to release quarterback Russell Wilson.

We spoke with Russell Wilson today to inform him of his release after the start of the league year. On behalf of the Broncos, we thank Russell for his contributions and dedication to our team and community while wishing him the best as he continues his career.

As we move forward, we are focused on building the strongest team possible for the 2024 season and beyond. We are excited to improve this offseason and will have the flexibility to get better through the draft and free agency

With Wilson getting the post-June 1st designation, the Broncos will face dead cap hits of $53 million this year and $32 million next season. This dead cap stings and the team will need to make moves before the start of the league year to get under the cap.

Two years ago, the Broncos made a blockbuster trade with the Seattle Seahawks to acquire quarterback Russell Wilson. They sent a total of five draft picks and three players to the Seahawks in exchange for Wilson and a 4th round selection in the 2022 draft.

AD

Broncos receive

• QB Russell Wilson
• DL Eyioma Uwazurike (2022 – 4th round pick), currently suspended

Seahawks receive

• QB Drew Lock
• TE Noah Fant
• IDL Shelby Harris
• OT Charles Cross (2022 – 1st round pick)
• OLB Boye Mafe (2022 – 2nd round pick)
• OLB Tyreke Smith (2022 – 5th round pick)
• CB Devon Witherspoon (2023 – 1st round pick)
• EDGE Derick Hall (2023 – 2nd round pick)

After they completed this historic trade, they wanted to lock up their newly acquired franchise quarterback for the future. They achieved this when before the start of the 2022 season, it was announced that the Broncos and Wilson agreed to a 5-year contract extension on top of the two years remaining on his deal. He now had a 7-year contract for $296 million dollars that averaged $42.3 million dollars per year.

The extension the Broncos and Wilson agreed to would kick in at the start of the 2024 season.

Unfortunately for the Broncos, this trade and contract would end up being a disaster for the franchise. In his first year with the Broncos, Wilson had the worst year of his career and the Broncos would finish with a 5-12 record. The Seahawks would go on to make the playoffs while the Broncos handed them a top 5 pick in return for Wilson.

This following year was better statistically, but in the end, Wilson and the Broncos came up short once again. Head coach Sean Payton tried to make it work but after a crushing loss to the Patriots on Christmas Eve, he pulled the plug on the Russell Wilson experience in Denver.

In his two seasons in Denver, Wilson played in a total of 30 games and passed for 6,594 yards, 42 touchdowns, and 19 interceptions. In the 30 games Wilson started, the Broncos had an 11-19 record. It just wasn’t good enough and now the two sides are officially parting ways.

The ride is officially over.