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You could feel bad for Russell Wilson if the mess he found himself in wasn’t so predictable.
He rocked up in Denver in 2022 determined to make a mark. To plot his own course away from the pesky Seattle Seahawks and Pete Carroll. To overthrow Patrick Mahomes at the top of the AFC West. To take multiple Super Bowl titles. To win on his own terms and cement himself as a future Hall of Famer. He pushed through a trade to the Broncos so that he could get more of everything. More control of an offense. More control over the building, including a sparkling new office and his own training staff. More money. And, most importantly, more credit.
The Broncos obliged, handing Wilson a $243m contract before he had played a down for the team. Two years on, the Broncos are ejecting on the experience before the contract extension even kicks in. They will release Wilson to the tune of $85m in dead-cap money – the highest figure in league history. Put it this way: the Broncos are paying Wilson more money than any team in NFL history to go away.
Related: Broncos take $85m hit to bring Russell Wilson’s Denver career to an early end
By any measure, it’s one of the worst trades the league has seen. At every step, Denver’s quarterback, coaches and ownership have been like Sideshow Bob stepping on rakes. The final accounting is brutal:
$124m guaranteed
11 wins in 30 starts
13 defeats by 10 or more points
Zero playoff appearances
Two first-round picks, two second-round picks and three players traded away
Innumerable shots of frustrated coaches and teammates
Wilson’s flaws exposed
An organization further away from contending today than when Wilson walked through the door
The damage isn’t finished. The NFLPA is continuing to investigate the Broncos’ handling of Wilson’s benching last season.
Being the signature player in one of the ‘worst’ trades of all time isn’t just about one player. It’s about the opportunity cost of sinking so many resources into what has been a colossal…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/russell-wilson-made-history-denver-130911144.html
Author : The Guardian
Publish date : 2024-03-07 13:09:11
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