The Denver Broncos handed their new starting QB Russell Wilson a new contract on Thursday - a blockbusting $245million five-year deal.
Denver traded two first-round draft picks and a lot more in the offseason to acquire the nine-time Pro Bowler from the Seattle Seahawks. He will return to Seattle for his regular-season Denver debut on Monday Night Football in Week 1 of the 2022 season.
Russell Wilson Broncos contract
Wilson had two years left on his existing contract with Seattle, which means he is now tied to the Broncos for the next seven years. The deal will take him through to the age of 40.
The new contract includes $165million in guaranteed money, and is only just short of making Wilson the NFL’s highest-paid player in terms of APY (average per year). Aaron Rodgers broke through the $50million APY barrier with his restructured Green Bay deal earlier this year.
Wilson is seen by the Broncos as the final piece in a jigsaw they hope will take them back to a Super Bowl for the first time since Peyton Manning was at the controls back in early 2016. They are currently trading at 16/1 with Sky Bet.
Broncos built to win in 2022
Denver has a hugely talented roster, but one which underperformed in 2021 thanks to very average QB play from Teddy Bridgewater and Drew Lock. Failure to make the playoffs cost head coach Vic Fangio his job, and he is replaced by former Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett for 2022.
The acquisition of Wilson is expected to change all that, and the Broncos will hope he is re-energised after his career stagnated in the closing months of his long spell in Seattle. He did take the Seahawks to two Super Bowls of course, winning one in a 43-8 rout of the Broncos in early 2014.
Denver also has new ownership in 2022, being sold recently for a record $4.65billion to the Walmort heirs the Walton-Penner family. Seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton is also part of the ownership group.
