There are a lot of looming questions about how much -- if anything -- the Denver Broncos are still paying quarterback Russell Wilson. After trading a king's ransom to acquire Wilson back in 2022, the Broncos then handed him a massive contract extension worth upwards of $245 million in total money.
Where does that contract stand as we enter the 2025 season? What is left for the Broncos to pay, how much does Russell Wilson count against the team's salary cap, and when are the Broncos going to officially be free from this mistake once and for all?
Let's dive in and answer every question.
Are the Denver Broncos still paying Russell Wilson in 2025?
The short answer to this question is no. The Broncos paid Wilson the last chunk of remaining guaranteed money in 2024. That was the roughly $37.8 million that he was due last year after signing for the veteran minimum with the Pittsburgh Steelers. It would have been $39 million but there was offset language in Wilson's contract, allowing the Steelers to get him for next to nothing with the Broncos stuck paying the majority of the bill.
But there is no more guaranteed money on Wilson's deal and the Broncos have already paid him in full what he was contractually owed.
How much does Russell Wilson count against the Broncos' salary cap in 2025?
This is where things get a little confusing, but stick with me here. Although the Broncos are not paying Russell Wilson anything in 2025, he is still set to account $32 million against the 2025 salary cap. That's just the way contract structures work in the NFL.
Wilson's dead cap hit for Denver this year is $32 million after the team decided to take $53 million in dead cap last year. In hindsight, eating that dead cap a year ago was the right decision even though there was obviously delayed gratification in getting it off the books. The Broncos had an unprecedented $90 million (roughly) in dead cap obligations last year and they have just over $33 million in dead cap this year.
Wilson is slated to account for a rather large 11.46 percent of the league's salary cap this year.
When will the Broncos have Russell Wilson's contract off the books?
Again, the short answer to this question is a simple one: 2026.
As of the 2026 league year, Russell Wilson will officially be off the Denver Broncos' books salary cap-wise and guaranteed money wise. They were done paying him officially after the 2024 season, and they will be done having to worry about his dead cap hits in 2026.
Does Russell Wilson's Giants contract help the Broncos at all?
The short answer to this question is also no.
The Giants signed Wilson to a one-year deal which is worth potentially upwards of $21 million, but there is no more off-set language in his contract that would help ease the blow for the Broncos. The dead cap figure of $32 million for Denver just is what it is at this point and there is no avoiding it.