Next steps with Russell Wilson for the Broncos and Sean Payton
A CRISP morning on December 27 at the Broncos’ Denver suburb facilities, players reported for duty for what they took to be a routine Wednesday practice.
Russell Wilson was no longer the starting quarterback, as head coach Sean Payton shockingly announced to the team.
Wide receiver Jerry Jeudy remarked, “He just informed us out of nowhere, so that was a surprise to everybody in the locker room.”
This was not a 10-play shuffle of a depth chart. This was a fundamental choice that might completely change the Broncos’ capacity to compete in the near future, carry a ton of financial weight, and have draft ramifications.
The Broncos’ capacity to proceed will be put to the test by the terms of Wilson’s deal, which team owner and CEO Greg Penner once celebrated in the same room that Payton announced Wilson’s benching. especially if the Broncos dismiss Wilson prior to the start of the upcoming league season in March, as is predicted.
Yet according to Payton, those conversations have not yet taken place.
“We haven’t had a sit-down [about] the future, but I’m sure we will,” Payton stated in the days that followed the news. We talk often, myself, Greg, and [general manager George Paton], but this is right now.
Denver’s immediate future is set: the team will not make the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season. In the event that Wilson is cut, the Broncos will incur the largest dead-money loss in NFL salary cap history. They will also enter the draft in April with six picks and, once more, uncertainty surrounding their quarterback situation.
“They’re kind of in a box, you know,” an opposing general manager said to ESPN. It looks like they took a hammer to this. You try to avoid dead money, kicking that can, because dead money is really players you can’t have because of players you let go and are still paying for — the bigger the number, the more players you can’t have. We’ve all been there, or we will be there if you do a deal that big that you put an end to before the more comfortable exit point.
In a sense, you’re paying twice for the new player because you have to factor in the additional expense of replacing the departing player. The new wage is not an addition to the previous one.
Wilson was tied for sixth in the league with 26 touchdown passes when he was benched, so their options for a quarterback are restricted by the choice to move on before his contract offers a genuine way out.
Additionally, players were left feeling let down. “Pissed for Russ. Just pissed for Russ, a lot of us,” one player remarked in response to a question concerning the team’s response to the benching.
A different player said, “We just won five straight.” Although we’ll all be rooting for [backup Jarrett Stidham], Russ was giving it his all.
The start of the end
Wilson claimed that after the Broncos’ triumph in Week 8 over the Kansas City Chiefs, which ended a 16-game losing skid, he was urged by team management to either renounce or modify a $37 million salary guarantee in his contract, failing which he would be “benched for the remainder of the year.”
The guarantee, which Wilson signed a five-year, $242.6 million contract in 2022 and which was made public with great fanfare by the same team officials, gives Wilson, who is already guaranteed $39 million in 2024, an additional $37 million (his 2025 salary) in the event that he fails a physical on March 18, the fifth day of the new league year.
Essentially, Wilson’s injury might have increased his remaining salary by $37 million during a season in which the Broncos were 3-5 following their victory over the Chiefs.
Wilson claimed, “They told me, for sure, that I was going to be benched and all that.” “I didn’t know for the entire bye week whether or not I would be ready to play. I wanted to go to Buffalo and defeat Buffalo; I wasn’t going to take a chance on an injury.
“I want to be able to contribute to this team’s victory and play. … I never play terrified or timid because I know that every time I step onto the field, it’s a rough game.
The Broncos had intended to speak with Wilson and his reps earlier in the season, according to team sources, with the intention of adjusting the guarantee’s expiration date and possibly addressing other matters that could provide the organization with some financial relief. However, Payton’s announcement of the modification was made public.
In public, though, Payton has insisted that Wilson’s benching was solely the result of a football decision to find a “spark” on offense.
Furthermore, Payton repeatedly stated that he was not aware of any discussions regarding Wilson’s pay guarantee. Payton is responsible for overseeing everything from the playbook to the creation of the warm-up attire players wear when traveling.
Since Wilson was benched, neither Penner nor Paton have made any public comments. The Broncos have informed individuals who have asked that Payton’s remarks reflect the viewpoint of the team. This week, Penner and Paton are anticipated to address the media.
Dead money that breaks records
It’s one thing for the Broncos to consider Stidham as a possible quarterback solution after he inked a two-year, $10 million contract in March. especially now that he’s the 12th quarterback for the Broncos to start a game since Peyton Manning retired following their victory in Super Bowl 50.
However, the Broncos have already significantly reduced their chances of acquiring a star quarterback if Stidham is not the answer.
Dead money is the accounting element of the salary cap that takes into account players who were released, waived, or dealt but still had years left on their contracts. Even if the player already receives the money, the pro-rated amounts are the receipts left behind when signing bonuses are prorated over the course of a contract to aid in short-term accounting.
The $85 million in dead money that the Broncos would have to pay if they release Wilson would be the most amount any team has had to pay for a single player since the salary cap was implemented in 1994. Wilson’s release may occur at any time and be one of two designated post-June 1 designations; but, even with a post-June 1 designation, the dead money would be spread out over two years, putting the Broncos in unfamiliar salary cap terrain.
The $40.525 million dead money charge for a single player in a single year that occurred in 2022 after the Atlanta Falcons moved quarterback Matt Ryan was the highest to date. The Green Bay Packers’ trade of Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets this season resulted in a $40.31 million dead money charge.
As per multiple league administrators overseeing the salary cap, the dead money charges for 2024 and 2025 would amount to $35.4 million and $49.6 million respectively. That is in addition to the little over $10 million in dead money the Broncos currently have on their books for 2024. After trading for Randy Gregory, they lost $6 million in dead money, and after releasing Frank Clark, they lost $3.2 million.
Four teams—the Packers, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (following Tom Brady’s retirement), the Los Angeles Rams, and the Arizona Cardinals—entered this season with dead money charges totaling more than $60 million. Despite having quarterback Matthew Stafford and having the second-youngest roster in the league at the beginning of the season, the Rams (10-7) secured a wild card spot.
The Packers (9-8) not only secured a wild card spot but also began the season with the youngest team in the league, thanks in part to a 13-player draft class in April. At quarterback, Jordan Love is a first-round choice on a rookie contract. The Buccaneers (9-8) had the eighth youngest roster in the league when they began the season and went on to win the NFC South.
The Cardinals (4-13), who finished last in the NFC West and missed the playoffs, began the season ranked twenty-first, close to the Broncos’ opening position of twenty-four.
“You can deal with dead money, but you better be ready to be young, real young, and it’s easier if you’re young around a quarterback you want to have for a long time,” stated the competitor general manager.
Wilson still costs the Broncos $85 million in cap space even though his actual contract is no longer on the books. The quarterback room for the Broncos will already cost $35.4 million in 2024 and $49.6 million before any other players are signed.
The problem becomes more apparent when you consider that the Broncos, unlike the Packers, who stacked picks in the April draft, also have six picks in the 2024 draft at this time, with two of those picks coming on the first two days of the draft. Add to that the possibility of signing another Wilson-caliber quarterback in free agency and the $60 million salary cap charge for one position on a team that already projects to be roughly $20 million over the projected cap next year.
Wilson’s social media post the day he was officially benched saying he was “looking forward to what’s ahead,” among other indicators that suggested Wilson was leaving. However, Payton maintains that no final decision has been made.
“We complete this process for the entire roster at the end of the season,” stated Payton. We go through every player, starting with the trainers, strength [coaches], position coaches, coordinators, pro personnel, general manager, and head coach. We’ll do that, but we haven’t started at all to decide. Not just Russ, but any other player. “We have a series of numbers and grades that I’ve learned early in my career.”
Since 2016, only safety Justin Simmons has seen all 12 quarterbacks start for the Broncos. He stated, “Russ has been amazing for us.” It’s not a knock at him as a person or a player; I simply think that sometimes things just don’t work out and that’s the way it is. It’s just terrible that things don’t work out occasionally.
The “box”
As the opposing general manager stated, the Broncos are in “a bit of box” the moment they release Wilson.
Despite being the 24th youngest club in the league at the beginning of the season, they are not a young team. Trading future draft capital would be necessary for any big-move transaction.
And that’s a difficult decision to make given how much draft capital the Broncos have already exchanged for Wilson and Payton, including three first-round selections and two second-round selections in total. Three of their own first-round selections, including cornerback Pat Surtain II, are on their current roster.
Many NFL officials believe the Broncos will struggle to overcome those problems despite being the richest ownership group in the league. especially if Wilson’s performance this season isn’t truly improved by Stidham or anybody else.
Wilson expressed his hope that the team would succeed for a long time, saying, “I hope that it’s here, I genuinely mean that, I brought my family here and everything else. I hope we win some more silverware in the front hall and we get some more championships. If it’s not here, I’ll be prepared to do that somewhere else.” Wilson spoke these words two days before Stidham started playing against the Chargers.
FRISCO, Texas—The Dallas Cowboys have announced that Mike McCarthy will return for a fifth season as head coach.
Jerry Jones, the general manager and owner, met with McCarthy on Wednesday following the coach’s completion of the players’ exit interviews.
In a statement issued by the squad, Jones stated, “I think this team is very close and capable of attaining our ultimate goals and the best move forward for us will be with Mike McCarthy as our head coach.” “Maintaining the team’s success under Mike’s guidance as our head coach has many advantages.”
Following the Cowboys’ regular-season finale against the Washington Commanders, Jones lauded McCarthy but also stated, “we’ll see how each game goes,” when questioned about the coach’s future. The Cowboys are coming off a wild-card loss to the Green Bay Packers at AT&T Stadium that left Jones “floored.”
This this gave rise to rumors that Jones may take McCarthy’s position.
Jones stated in a statement released on Wednesday, “Our loss on Sunday is felt by everyone here, not just Coach McCarthy.” “We use a holistic lens to view and evaluate Coach McCarthy; while we’re all disappointed with the outcome on Sunday and with our playoff record, I am 100 percent supportive of him as our head coach and ability to reach our goals. There is accountability for our results. I am accountable for our results.”
McCarthy finished the regular season with a 42-25 record and two NFC East championships in 2021 and 2023. The Cowboys made history by being the first team in the Super Bowl era to win 12 games in three consecutive seasons without making it to the conference finals at the very least.
McCarthy has a 1-3 record in the postseason with the Dallas Cowboys, having lost two of the previous three wild-card round games at home against the San Francisco 49ers and Packers. The only postseason victory he ever had was against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the wild-card round in 2022, which ended up being Tom Brady’s last game.
After being fired in Green Bay, McCarthy took a year off before being rehired in 2020, partly to accomplish a feat that his predecessor, Jason Garrett, was unable to accomplish: win a Super Bowl. The Cowboys continue to hold out hope that McCarthy can win two titles in that scenario. In 2010, he and the Packers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV.
According to Jones’ statement, “Mike’s approach to managing the club has resulted in many layers of success this season, both with individual players and with our squad collectively.” “We will dedicate ourselves, in partnership with Mike, to translating his record of the highest regular season winning percentage of any head coach in Cowboys history into achieving our postseason goals. Certainly, Mike’s career has demonstrated postseason success at a high level, and we have great confidence that can continue.”
If McCarthy’s five-year contract from 2020 remains intact, his return creates an intriguing situation. Jones twice had Garrett coach in the last year of his deal. Garrett was rewarded with a five-year extension in 2014 after the Cowboys finished 12-4, won the NFC East, and fell to McCarthy’s Packers in the divisional round. Garrett finished 8-8 in 2019 and was cut after missing the playoffs.
Additionally, in 2024, quarterback Dak Prescott will begin the last year of a four-year, $160 million contract. His contract has a no-trade clause, and the Cowboys are not allowed to assign him the franchise tag in 2025. The second-highest amount in the NFL, $59.4 million, is expected to be deducted from his salary cap.
Prescott, who is currently 2-5 in the playoffs, would have a lot of power over the team that took him in the fourth round of the 2016 draft if he can lead the Cowboys to at least a conference championship game, if not a Super Bowl, in 2024. In the event that he doesn’t, the Cowboys will be able to let him go after having started nine full seasons without winning the championship.
Dan Quinn, who is set to interview with five teams—the Carolina Panthers, Commanders, Tennessee Titans, Los Angeles Chargers, and Seattle Seahawks—may also indicate that the Cowboys are looking to add a defensive coordinator.
“While we’re not going to address specific players and extensions or free agents at this point, we will begin our process of review and decision-making regarding everything that impacts our team and roster,” Jones said in his statement. “It deserves our deepest review and consideration, and it will get it.”
After Kellen Moore took over as playcaller in 2023, McCarthy supervised Prescott’s greatest season (2022) with 36 touchdown passes and nine interceptions. In 2022, Prescott had 15 interceptions, which matched for the most in the NFL, despite missing five games due to a broken thumb. The Cowboys were fifth in yards per game (376.1) and first in the league in points per game (29.9).
McCarthy is now the third-most successful active coach with 167 victories, behind Andy Reid and Mike Tomlin, due to the recent changes in the statuses of Bill Belichick and Pete Carroll.
