In some incredible recent reporting, Russell Wilson had some flat-out ridiculous contract demands from the Denver Broncos.
Russell Wilson was traded from the Seattle Seahawks to the Denver Broncos following the 2021 NFL Season, and this was George Paton's first major move with the Broncos. Paton is on record saying that he believed the team was a 'sleeping giant,' so you figure that his move to trade for Wilson was trying to awaken that giant.
And well, it blew up in the Broncos faces, but not before they signed the veteran QB to a contract extension, and they did this even with the veteran QB still having multiple years on his previous contract that he signed with the Seattle Seahawks...
Russell Wilson wanted $350 million guaranteed from the Denver Broncos
Some stellar reporting by Pable Torre was able to uncover a ton of juice information related to Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos, and nothing is juicier than Wilson's initial contract demands from the team:
Russell Wilson asked the Broncos for a 7-year, ~$350 million FULLY guaranteed contract.
— Zac Stevens (@ZacStevensDNVR) June 24, 2025
"However, it was clear that the Broncos had no intention of giving him [a fully guaranteed contract] and told him (or his agent) that repeatedly."
Incredible reporting from @PabloTorre. pic.twitter.com/75WBruiZsk
These demands likely stemmed from the Cleveland Browns signing Deshaun Watson to a fully-guaranteed deal previously, as Watson had come over in a massive trade from the Houston Texans. It's safe to say that neither QB move worked out, but Watson is still on the Browns roster. Cleveland giving him a fully-guaranteed deal has really set that franchise back for years, so it's a huge relief that the Broncos front office didn't really come close to giving Russell Wilson this type of deal.
Russell Wilson and his camp surely thought that they had a ton of leverage in negotiations given that the Broncos had given up a ton to get him, but if there is any good stemming from this, it's that Denver did not give him that $350 million deal and that they came out the other side in a good spot, as they cut ties with Wilson following the 2023 NFL Season and drafted Bo Nix with the 12th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Can you imagine the chaos in Broncos Country if the team had given Russell Wilson a fully-guaranteed deal?