Chad Johnson called the NFL a “dirty business” after more information about the rift between Russell Wilson and the Broncos emerged. “It’s a dirty game but at the end of your day, you have to play the game your way,” Johnson lamented. Furthermore, Johnson’s comments come after Wilson confirmed speculation that the Broncos benched him because he refused to make significant adjustments to his contract. “They definitely told me I was going to be benched and all that. That whole bye week I didn’t know what was going to be the case. I wasn’t going to remove the injury guarantee, this game is such a physical game, I’ve played 12 years and all that. And I want to be able to play, I want to be able to help this team win. Every time I step on the field it’s a physical game. I never play timid; I never play scared,” Wilson confirmed to reporters Friday.
Specifically, as Wilson alluded to, the Broncos had wanted the veteran QB to defer an injury guarantee to 2025. Under the current language of Wilson’s contract, he would receive $37M in guaranteed money if he wasn’t able to pass a physical in March 2024. Meanwhile, head coach Sean Payton, who cited the desire to trigger an “offensive spark” when benching Wilson, denied any knowledge of the contract dispute. “I’m not privy to any of those [discussions], I’m handling the football. I know how this has been written. But this decision is strictly what I believe gives us a chance to win No. 8. Hard decision [but there] will be no other reasons,” Payton said.
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Broncos Face A Financial Headache With Russell Wilson
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In short, the Broncos owe Wilson a lot of money. As a result, benching him potentially saves them having to pay out even more money. However, the team can’t simply just cut the veteran. There is a lot of guaranteed money baked into Wilson’s contract that the Broncos will owe him either way. If they do cut Wilson, they will also be hit with $85M in dead money. That would greatly impact the options that would be available to Payton and the team in replacing Wilson.
However, it’s clear that Wilson isn’t the answer that the Broncos were hoping he would be. While his play has declined somewhat, he is not a terrible quarterback by any means. Despite this, the bigger problem is that the Broncos as a team unite. They have not been able to put together a team with consistent chemistry. The answer might be to reset completely and use their projected 13th-overall pick to draft the best available quarterback. That is currently projected to be Michigan’s JJ McCarthy or Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. Meanwhile, Wilson will likely be able to find a team. Atlanta, New York (Giants), or New England may all be looking for a veteran QB. However, this is a story that is likely going to play out for the coming months.
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