Denver Broncos: What does a Russell Wilson extension look like?

The Denver Broncos have a quarterback, and the team is expected to now work on a contract extension for Russell Wilson when the new league year begins.

I am not sure if you all heard, but the Denver Broncos will soon have Russell Wilson on their team.

After 10 years in Seattle, Wilson had enough and presumably requested a trade to Denver.  Denver has invested little on the financial side to a quarterback since 2015, so beginning in 2022 will change that.

Currently, Wilson is under contract for 2 more seasons. His current contract was signed in 2019 with the Seattle Seahawks. It was a 4 year, $140 million extension. The total guarantees included $107 million and the average annual salary was $35 million. Even though he signed this just 3 years ago, the contract has become extremely outdated.

Being that Wilson has indicated that he wants to play well into his 30s and perhaps 40s, a new extension with the Denver Broncos is going to happen.

Russell Wilson is one of the very best players in the entire NFL regardless of position, so he isn’t going to be cheap.

Honestly, it will be a little weird seeing a massive quarterback contract on the Denver Broncos’ books, but it’s long overdue.

Ok, so, let’s try to predict this thing.

Russell Wilson is 33 years old and set to enter his age-34 season with the team.

According to spotrac.com, Wilson’s market value comes in at $42.6 million per year. Josh Allen just signed a contract extension that pays him $43 million per year, Patrick Mahomes extension is worth $45 million per year, and Aaron Rodgers’ new extension with the Packers should come in at $50 million per year.

In my opinion, I do not think Wilson will be able to eclipse Mahomes’ $45 million per year deal, but I think he can eclipse Josh Allen’s $43 million per year.

Let’s make it easy and say that Wilson’s contract will pay him $44 million per season.

How many years will this extension be?  It’s hard to say how long George Paton would be willing to commit to him on a contract, and Wilson may want to sign a shorter deal in order to cash in again later into his 30s.

When Kirk Cousins signed with the Vikings back in 2018, it was only a 3-year deal. When Dak Prescott was recently extended by the Dallas Cowboys, it was only a 4-year deal.

Deshaun Watson’s extension with the Texans was a 4-year pact as well.

I think, outside of extreme circumstances like Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes, quarterbacks are desiring a shorter deal more than a longer one.

Wilson’s current extension was a 4 year one with Seattle, and I bet Matthew Stafford’s extension with the Rams will be 4 years as well.

Other quarterbacks who could be in line to receive new deals include Lamar Jackson and Kyler Murray. I would not be surprised to see Kyler Murray sign a 4-year deal either.

Russell Wilson is not young anymore, so signing a deal in the 4-year range may allow him to cash in one more time once he gets into his late 30s and if he wants to continue playing.

So, let’s offer Russell Wilson a 4-year contract extension. If we do it at $44 million per year, we’d get $176 million.

This contract would be similar to what Dak Prescott recently signed with the Cowboys. His 4-year contract is paying him $160 million with $95 million in total guarantees.

Could Russell Wilson’s side ask for $100 million in total guarantees to eclipse Prescott’s contract? Perhaps.

This would give Wilson a contract that is 56.8 percent in total guarantees, which is a higher guaranteed percentage than both Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen.

Signing a 4-year deal also allows the two sides to revisit this situation a few years down the road when the salary cap becomes even larger and the Broncos can get a true assessment of Wilson’s performance.

Quarterbacks are very prideful, confident players, so it will be no surprise to see that Wilson’s side is currently demanding a large extension, and will continue to do so during his tenure in Denver.