Russell Wilson thought he’d found his forever home in Denver. The veteran quarterback believed the Broncos were his ticket back to championship glory after years of Seattle’s success. Instead, his two-year stint became one of the NFL’s most expensive disappointments.
What Went Wrong During Russell Wilson’s Denver Years?
When Denver traded for Wilson in 2022, Broncos fans were ecstatic. The team thought it was getting the Super Bowl-winning passer it had been waiting for since Peyton Manning rode off into the sunset.
As Wilson arrived in the Mile High City, only three teams had better odds of winning the Lombardi Trophy than the Broncos did. He signed a five-year contract extension worth $245 million that was supposed to keep him in the Rocky Mountains until 2028, at least. It didn’t go at all as either side had planned.
Wilson’s explanation for the struggles centers on injuries and timing. “I can still throw the ball a long ways, 65, 70 yards,” Wilson said. “I can still move. And I think that I’m capable of a lot. It’s funny because to me, being in Denver my first year, I was hurt most of the time and battled through it. The second year I felt like myself again. Then going to Pittsburgh, obviously, unfortunately I got injured early in the season, (and it) didn’t end up the way we wanted it to.”
The reality painted a much different picture. Wilson went 11-19 over two seasons with Denver, failing to make the playoffs in both campaigns. The franchise had to cycle through three head coaches and three playcallers while trying to make the partnership work.
How Does Wilson’s Fresh Start With the Giants Look?
That experience is well behind Wilson after spending the 2024-25 season with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Mike Tomlin’s team ran out of gas down the stretch, ending the season with a resounding thud against the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card round of the postseason.
Wilson signed a one-year, $10.5 million deal with Brian Daboll’s Giants in free agency. Big Blue also added fellow veteran Jameis Winston and rookie Jaxson Dart. Wilson is striving for the starting job and detailed his skill set at this point in his career.
The quarterback room in New York represents a fresh opportunity for Wilson to prove his Denver struggles were situational rather than permanent. He’s competing for the starting position while showcasing the arm strength and mobility that made him a star in Seattle.
Meanwhile, Broncos fans will always be left to wonder what went wrong after the organization invested so heavily in Wilson’s arrival. “I believe this is a marriage,” Wilson said after the Broncos showered him with the expensive deal. “You want to be here for a long time, and my goal is to be able to finish my career here.”
Instead, the Broncos had to dump Wilson and take on an $85 million charge in dead money against their salary cap over the 2024-25 season and this one. The failed experiment stands as one of the most costly quarterback investments in recent NFL history.
