Less than three years ago, he was traded by the franchise he won with. Eleven months ago the Broncos benched him and ended up absorbing the biggest dead cap hit Story.
And in March comes, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson could be the crown jewel of the free agent quarterback class.
A weak free agent class coupled with a weak draft class presents an interesting supply and demand question for the league at its most important position. And Wilson, who will be an unrestricted free agent after this season, could have some options have.
Wilson, 36, is currently playing in Pittsburgh on a one-year, $1.21 million veteran contract as the Broncos are still paying Wilson $39 million. The Steelers have it too Justin Fieldswho is in the final year of his rookie contract and will also be an unrestricted free agent in March.
It is known that the Steelers do not negotiate during the season, so it is not expected that an extension will be reached for anyone until the end of the season. And there is a desire in the building to keep not only Wilson, but Fields as well.
The likely reality is that the team will have to select one in the offseason, and conventional wisdom would suggest that the franchise selects the player it selected to start with the team at 4-2 when Fields is healthy .
But if a recent survey by… If they are executives, it will be difficult to see Wilson's market. Text responses around the league asking about Wilson's expected average contract length per year were the NFL's version of a Rorschach test.
- Manager 1: “I think a lot depends on how he finishes the season and how Pittsburgh views him. Whether they make a splash in the playoffs, Geno.” [Smith] at [$25 million]. If it fizzles out on the track, it's a bridge/replacement [$10-12 million].”
- Manager 2: “I think he'll get more than those top backup/bridge QB deals ($8-10 million), but if he doesn't get traded, someone will pay him for it.” [$20 millions] to be their true starter like Jimmy [Garoppolo] and Geno got.
- Manager 3: “I'd rather have upside than Old Russ,” said one executive, who pegged Wilson's average annual value at $10 million.
- Leader 4: “[$25-30 million]. The fair value would be in this range.
- Executive 5: “[$28-32 million]. They will add a fluffy year in the backend to make it look better.
- Executive 6: “[$30 to 35 million].”
- Executive 7: “Probably in [$30-35 million] Reach. A Baker Mayfield like deal. With him as a starter they could win their division and get out of the wild card round.”
So there you have it. nfl executives who make such decisions expect Wilson to receive between $10 million and $35 million per year in his next deal.
A $10 million deal would be reflected Sam Darnolds current contract with the Vikings. Darnold, a former No. 3 overall pick, is 27 years old and threw just 46 passes as a backup for San Francisco last year before signing with the Vikings for a backup role.
Smith's contract with Wilson's old club averages $25 million per year. And Mayfield will earn an average of $33 million after completing his contract with the privateer in the off season.
Smith and Mayfield finished the seasons as Comeback Player of the Year, with Smith actually winning the award. Wilson is 4-1 as a starter heading into Sunday's game against the USA Bengal. He threw seven touchdowns and two interceptions in a win against the Jets, Giants, Ravens And Commanders.
Multiple sources noted how image-conscious Wilson was, alluding to the belief that he would not take a below-market deal later in his career.
“I think he has a reputation for being high-maintenance and a lot to handle,” said an eighth-team manager who didn’t see a team pay him more than $30 million.
This will be the fourth veteran contract Wilson has signed in his career. After playing three years of his four-year, $3 million rookie contract, Wilson signed a four-year, $87.6 million extension Seahawks Being the highest paid player in franchise history in 2015.
In 2019, Wilson broke his own Seahawks record by signing a four-year extension worth $140 million. And Seattle sent him to Denver as a draft pick three years later.
The Broncos did not immediately give Wilson a new contract when they traded for him, as the team had just been sold to the Walton-Penner ownership group. The nfl had just seen this Brown tones Sign Deshaun Watson to a fully guaranteed $230 million contract, and the players, their representatives and the union hoped Wilson could keep that momentum going.
Wilson was a Super Bowl-winning quarterback, who earned nearly $200 million on the field in his career, whose new team had just traded the farm for him, and whose team was owned by one of the wealthiest families on this side of the planet. But Wilson didn't ask for a fully guaranteed contract and signed a five-year, $242.6 million deal with about half of the money guaranteed at signing. Whatever hope there may be for the fully guaranteed offers of the And was dashed.
It's far too early to determine what Wilson's next contract would look like beyond the APY. The duration of the contract and the guaranteed money will be determined later.
But a quarter of the league could have a different Week 1 starter next year. The Giants, Jets, Panthers, robber, TitansThe Browns and Steelers are all among the teams with uncertain quarterback futures in 2025.
In addition to Wilson, quarterbacks like Fields, Darnold, Daniel Jones, Jameis Winston, Jacoby Brissett, Andy Dalton And MacJones are among those who will be free agents in 2025. And Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders are the two college quarterbacks widely considered first-round picks in April's draft.
The Steelers, meanwhile, haven't had a quarterback account for more than 10% of their salary cap since then Ben Roethlisbergers last season in 2021. A $20 million deal for Wilson in Pittsburgh would reach that threshold.
Having just turned 36 this week, Wilson doesn't have age on his side. But with a solid finish to the season, there could be a market for Wilson inside and outside of Pittsburgh.
