Is Russell Wilson getting ready to ride out of Broncos Country?
According to a report from BusinessDen, the quarterback and his wife Ciara appear to be readying for that possibility as they are now “accepting offers” on their Denver-area mansion that the couple bought for a whopping $25 million in 2022.
After this season’s benching drama, Wilson’s future with the Broncos has become murky at best.
The veteran signal-caller had a roller coaster two seasons with the team after a trade from the Seahawks and was benched for Denver’s final two games of 2023 in favor of Jarrett Stidham as speculation began that the team sat Wilson over his 2025 injury guarantee.
That stipulation in his contract would guarantee Wilson making $37 million in 2025 if he was still on the roster on March 17.
The guarantee would have kicked in had Wilson been seriously hurt — and not been able to pass a physical with another potential suitor in the offseason.
Wilson clarified on Dec. 29 that the team had approached him earlier in the season in October to take a benching over the injury guarantee.
“Yeah, we beat the Chiefs, they came up to me during the bye week, beginning of the bye week, Monday or Tuesday, and they told me that if I didn’t change my contract, my injury guarantee, that I’d be benched for the rest of the year,” Wilson said in a media session.
“And we had nine games left or so. I was definitely disappointed about it, and it was a process throughout the whole week, for the whole bye week.”
During the lead-up to the Super Bowl, the NFLPA told reporters that Wilson was “mistreated” and the organization was attempting to get a “resolution,” though what that means for the quarterback is unclear.
Despite the benching, Wilson expressed a desire to return to Denver, and in January, head coach Sean Payton said it was not a guarantee the team would move on from the 35-year-old.
NFL.com reported on Super Bowl Sunday that the Broncos were keeping all avenues open for the quarterback position, and that included potentially restructuring Wilson’s deal to keep him in Denver in 2024.
Nevertheless, ESPN reported Thursday that it’s likely Wilson will get his eventual release.
Wilson completed a career-low 60.5 percent of his passes during his first season in Denver before some improvements this season when he threw for 26 touchdowns to eight interceptions for a 98 quarterback rating.
It wasn’t enough to get the Broncos over the hump, though, and they missed the playoffs for the eighth straight season.
