Now that the Russell Wilson saga is officially coming to a close in Denver, the Broncos will shift their focus to how they are going to replace him.
It's a move that is being classified as one of the worst in NFL history and whether you feel it was the worst trade ever or not, there is one thing that is not up for debate — the dead money that the Broncos will take on is the most in NFL history.
The Broncos will eat $85 million in dead money, which will be split up between two seasons, $35.4 this season and $49.6 million in 2025. Those are incredible numbers. But let's put them into perspective.
Prior to Wilson's release, which will become official on Wednesday with the start of the new league year, the biggest dead money cap hit in NFL history was Matt Ryan for the Atlanta Falcons just two seasons ago. That number was $40.525 million.
Yes, you read that correctly. Wilson's new record number is more than double the previous record.
And though that was a huge number for the Falcons to take, it was so much easier than what the Broncos are about to go through. Ryan had been the Falcons' starting quarterback for 14 seasons, took them to a Super Bowl and was one of the best players in team history. In addition to that, the Falcons were able to trade Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for a third-round pick.
The Broncos got absolutely nothing from Wilson in terms of on-field success in his two seasons with the team and now he is being released and the team is getting absolutely nothing in return.
It truly was a bad deal and somehow, the general manager who was responsible for the trade and subsequent contract extension is still employed by the organization.
Broncos Country is looking forward to moving on from this mess and seeing what the future holds at the quarterback position, but the numbers listed here make things all the more sobering.