Russell Wilson’s infamous contract saga in Denver continues to haunt the NFL, not just for what it meant on the field, but for what it revealed behind the scenes. Journalist Pablo Torre reveals a whole new layer to the fallout, one involving union politics, internal resentment, and a critical court ruling that almost no one saw coming.
JC Tretter’s Leaked Messages About Russell Wilson Rock NFL Collusion Case
Torre, on the latest episode of “Pablo Torre Finds Out,” revealed that former NFLPA president JC Tretter privately blasted Wilson over his Denver Broncos contract demands. According to Torre, Tretter vented in texts to then-executive director DeMaurice Smith, calling Wilson a “wuss” and blaming him for weakening the push toward fully guaranteed contracts.
“What I can now report is that JC Tretter, in a series of text messages that he sent to then-executive director of the union, DeMaurice Smith, repeatedly insulted Russell Wilson,” Torre said.
“At one point, he used an expletive that I will not say here,” Torre said. “JC Tretter also called Russell Wilson a quote-unquote ‘wuss.’ Then he said of Wilson, quote, ‘Instead of being the guy that made guaranteed contracts the norm, he’s the guy that ruined it for everyone,’ end quote.”
EXCLUSIVE: Did a text calling Russell Wilson a “wuss” lead to the cover-up of NFL owners colluding against players?@PabloTorre and Mike Florio (@ProFootballTalk) reveal the secret document that billionaires and union execs don’t want you to see: https://t.co/qEkxrqNmjB pic.twitter.com/40eTsaUwT3
— Pablo Torre Finds Out (@pablofindsout) June 24, 2025
The frustration stemmed from Wilson reportedly asking for a seven-year, $50 million-per-year fully guaranteed contract following his trade to the Broncos. He didn’t get it. Instead, he signed a five-year, $245 million deal with less-than-complete guarantees and that, in Tretter’s view, set the movement back.
Torre’s report revealed that these private messages didn’t stay private for long. In fact, they were later used as evidence in a key arbitration case that ultimately dismissed the NFLPA’s collusion grievance.
Rather than framing the league’s owners as roadblocks to guaranteed contracts, Tretter’s words were seen as undercutting the union’s own position.
Why the NFL’s ‘Win’ Still Looked Like a Loss
On paper, the NFL won the grievance. System Arbitrator Christopher Droney ruled there wasn’t enough evidence to prove teams acted on alleged encouragement from the league to avoid guaranteed deals, despite documents showing the NFL Management Council advised clubs to cut back on contract guarantees after Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson’s historic 2022 deal.
But as Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, Torre’s podcast guest and fellow investigator, explained, the victory was messy. The 61-page ruling, kept hidden by both the NFL and NFLPA for months, still confirmed the league encouraged teams to limit guarantees.
The only reason that the NFL skated by was due to a lack of hard proof that clubs actually followed through.
To those inside the sport, the ruling defied logic. Why would the league go out of its way to coordinate strategy if no teams were listening? As Florio put it, “The NFL was the gang that couldn’t collude straight.”
Wilson has since moved on. He signed a fully guaranteed one-year, $1.21 million deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024, followed by a one-year, $10.5 million contract with the New York Giants in March, with $10 million of that guaranteed while receiving an $8 million signing bonus.
But the damage done to his image inside the union, especially from Tretter’s leaked texts, may linger longer. Torre reported that multiple union sources were alarmed by the internal criticism, fearing it could erode trust between leadership and players.
Great investigative work by Torre, but what’s the expletive Tretter used? Seems ironic to leave it out while making a case for transparency.