The unceremonious ending of the Russell Wilson tenure in Denver may have lit a fire under the QB to try and stick it to his old team in 2024. Initially, Wilson had desired to be traded to the Denver Broncos, and of course, that is what happened. When the trade went down, I think most of Broncos Country was thrilled to finally get a franchise QB in the building.
Everyone with eyes saw how the two-year tenure went, so I don't think I need to talk about that. Wilson's time in Denver likely came to an end after he was benched following the loss to the New England Patriots late in the 2023 NFL season. Surely, the powers that be in the Broncos organization knew that Russell Wilson was going to be cut.
But news of that only broke recently. The Broncos will now take on a record $85 million in dead cap. And the new contract he signed with the Broncos won't even be played on, as that new deal was set to start in 2024. For Denver, I think it's a safe bet that the team will come away with a QB in the 2024 NFL Draft.
And I bet it'll be a first-round QB. Now that the Broncos have turned the page on the failed Russell Wilson era, is Wilson going to try and stick it to the team? Just how petty does he want to be? I'm sure he personally disagreed with being benched, and he probably did not like being reamed out on the sidelines by Sean Payton in their late-season blowout loss versus the Detroit Lions.
There is a lot that happened to Russell Wilson in Denver that could cause him to want to make life hard for the Denver Broncos. The best possible way he could do that is to sign with a team that does play Denver in 2024 and perhaps beyond. The most obvious team could be the Las Vegas Raiders, who don't even have an average QB on their roster.
With Vegas likely being a place Wilson would want to play for his own personal brand if nothing else, he and his camp might try to squeeze their way onto the team. The Broncos will also face the Atlanta Falcons and Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024, two teams that could each use an upgrade at QB.
Perhaps Russell Wilson doesn't at all care about this. Maybe he just wants to play for a team he thinks is the best fit for himself.
Who knows, but I would not be surprised if Russell Wilson wanted to be a bit petty and try to stick it to his old team in 2024.