Many have said that Russell Wilson's contract might be the worst in NFL history given his play with the Denver Broncos, but another AFC quarterback holds that unfortunate honor now. The Denver Broncos signed Russell Wilson to a five-year contract extension before he even took a snap for the team two offseasons ago.
A lot of us were kind of just like "OK yeah, that makes sense." But since then, or at least in 2022, Wilson has not lived up to the deal. And honestly, you can argue that he still isn't living up to the deal in 2023, as the Broncos are 2-5 and Wilson has been good, not great. However, statistically, Russell Wilson is playing much better.
He's got 13 touchdowns, four interceptions, and a passer rating of 99.0. He's played much more efficiently and is far from the issue with the Denver Broncos. The defense has been the worst in the NFL thus far and has almost single-handedly ruined several games for the Broncos in 2023. Well, perhaps it's time to stop talking about Wilson's contract being downright abysmal and perhaps shift that energy to another AFC quarterback.
Deshaun Watson's contract has been a total disaster thus far for the Browns even though the team is 4-2. Browns' backup PJ Walker has played virtually all of the snaps over the last two games, and the Browns have won those two contests. They're now 4-2 and are very much in the hunt in the AFC playoff race and the AFC North hunt, all in spite of Deshaun Watson.
Since arriving in Cleveland, Deshaun Watson has thrown 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions in just 10 games. His completion percentage is 59.6% and his passer rating is 79.8. He's also taken 32 sacks and even though the Browns are 6-4 in their 10 starts with Watson, his fully guaranteed contract is just a total disaster that the franchise is stuck with.
Take a look at the financials of his contract here.
His cap hit balloons from $19 million in 2023 to a whopping $63.9 million in 2024, and the Browns carry that cap hit from 2024-2026. The entire contract is guaranteed, and even with a post-June 1st cut, the Browns would not save any form of money for the duration of his deal with the team.
At least with Russell Wilson's deal, the Broncos can swallow moving on from it at the end of the year and reset at the position. For the Browns, they are stuck with a QB that has been among the worst in the NFL since returning to the field.
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