Maybe one of the more unlikable players in the NFL, a new report proves just how much Russell Wilson continues to embarrass himself in the NFL.
The former Seahawks, Broncos, and Steelers QB is on his third team in as many seasons and is clearly not fully recognizing that he doesn't belong in the NFL anymore as a starter. It's honestly getting quite embarrassing that Wilson is trying to stretch out his career into 2025.
The New York Giants are the latest team that will take a chance on the QB (although we know how it's going to end).
After being traded to the Denver Broncos in 2022, Wilson quickly declined and was cut after the 2023 NFL Season. Well, a recent report surrounding a grievance filed by the NFLPA paints a really brutal picture for the veteran QB.
Russell Wilson is finding new ways to make himself hated across the NFL
Lee Vowell of 12th Man Rising has summed up the recent report and fallout nicely:
"Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio and Pablo Torre of the podcast Pablo Torre Finds Out reported on Tuesday that the grievance the NFL Players' Association (NFLPA) filed against the NFL had some harsh accusations, but not just from the NFLPA to the NFL, but by some players about other players.Lee Vowell
The grievance stems from guaranteed deals for players, or a lack thereof. A team might sign a player for $100 million, for instance, but if only $20 million of that is guaranteed, that is the real money the player could get. A player and his agent have to argue strongly for the amount of guaranteed money involved.
As part of the NFLPA document of the grievance that Torre received, NFLPA President JC Tretter sent several texts disparaging Wilson for the quarterback and his agent not trying harder to get more guaranteed money from the Broncos. One called Wilson a "wuss" during contract negotiations.
Worse, Tretter reportedly sent a text that said, "Instead of being the guy that made guaranteed contracts the norm, (Russell Wilson’s) the guy that ruined it for everyone.""
So basically, it seems like the NFLPA is quite angry at Russell Wilson that he and his agent did not press the Denver Broncos for more guaranteed money during that negotiation period. Wilson did soon sign an extension after arriving in Denver, and it felt like a healthy one.
But to the surprise of no one, the NFLPA clearly wants to see more guaranteed money in this big-time contracts that are signed across the NFL. After all, this is the players' association. You'd also have to think that Wilson did have some degree of leverage over the Broncos during those negotiations.
Denver gave up a boatload of picks and players, so they were already making a massive investment. Well, the Broncos are still trying to get out from under that deal, as they still have $32 million worth of dead money on the books in 2025.
But after the 2025 NFL Season, his contract is totally gone, and the Broncos have nothing more to worry about on that end. We have seen QBs like Kirk Cousins score fully-guaranteed deals, but I suppose back in 2022, Wilson was still a high-profile player in the NFL, so he could have leveraged that and the recent trade to get more guaranteed money in the contract.
Russell Wilson is now on the New York Giants, and if he fades out with them like he did the Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers, his time as a starter in the NFL is surely going to be done. This is yet another example of how much Russell Wilson can embarrass himself and how unliked he could be across the league entirely.