Amidst ‘$80M’ Steelers Rumors, Russell Wilson’s Broncos Exit Inspires Shannon Sharpe’s Plea to NFL Players: “Do What’s in the Best Interest of You”

The Denver Broncos might have sabotaged their dreams of ever winning a Lombardi Trophy. Ever since they traded with the Seahawks for Russell Wilson, the Broncos, like any other team, had its ups and downs. But everything went hazy towards the end of the 2023 season when Sean Payton and Russell Wilson’s problems became a public spectacle. As it turned out the Broncos had been messing with Wilson, threatening to bench him since October.

The reason? Wilson had a $39 million payout due, and the Broncos wanted him to defer that to 2025. The QB declined to take a single snap and bore the brunt of it. Fast forward to this day, the Broncos and their then-QB finally ended their relationship after two uninspiring seasons. Now that he is a free agent, Mr. Unlimited has a few struggles to navigate. Unc and Ocho had a few interesting things to say about it.

Shannon Sharpe has a priceless advice for Russell Wilson

If anyone knows a thing or two about the Denver Broncos it’s Shannon Sharpe. The Hall of Fame tight end had two stints with the Broncos lasting 12 seasons and won two of these three Super Bowls with the franchise. Recently, speaking on his ‘Nightcap’ podcast with Chad ‘Ochocinco’ Johnson, they reacted to the Denver Broncos releasing QB Russell Wilson.

During the conversation, Ocho mentioned that Wilson should sign with the Steelers because the team has the right pieces and that the QB can easily make about $80 million this year. This got Shannon Sharpe’s attention, and he pointed out something very interesting about the Broncos.

He mentioned that the Broncos won’t keep Russell Wilson because they don’t like him and don’t believe in him. Sharpe said, “To say this was an epic fail for the Broncos would be an understatement because the Seahawks weren’t going to pay that money. They weren’t going to give Russ the extension that he wanted.” At this point, it’s not about the money that the Broncos are taking an $85 million dead cap hit by getting rid of Russell Wilson.

Wouldn’t it be easier for the team to just pay him his $39 million in injury guarantees (which they are already doing)? Yet, they still chose to release Wilson from his duties. The point Sharpe was trying to make was that, when the teams are doing whatever they want, the players should also look out for themselves.

The Shapeshifter said, “Now Russ can go out there in the open market and maybe get another deal. And he might make $80 million this year with the 39 plus the money that he gets from another team. So, this notion that oh man teams, teams are always going to do what’s in the best interest of the team. Players, please do what’s in the best interest of you… Players, I’m not tellin’ you to go, I’m not tellin’ you to stay. But what I will tell you is that you need to do what’s in the best interest to you.”

READ MORE- Russell Wilson Released: Emotional QB Reminisces Broncos Memories as Denver Confirms Future Intentions

The Russell Wilson era is indeed over in Denver. The $85 million in salary cap charges is reportedly an NFL record and a gamble Payton thought was worth taking. While the Broncos settle on this, what’s next for the quarterback?

Russell Wilson is now a free agent but there’s a struggle

Per Sharpe and Chad Johnson’s assessment, the Pittsburgh Steelers would be a great choice for Russell Wilson. Chad revealed, “Even me as a Bengal can sit here and be honest about it. And what Russell Willson can do for the Pittsburgh Steelers I can do that, I can do, I can separate the two even though my allegiance is as a Bengal.” To which Sharpe agreed and said, “Right now the Pittsburg Steelers are the betting favorite at minus 200.” 

Ocho mentioned earlier how the Steelers have a great defense and offense. They are a team that has won multiple Lombardi Trophies in the past and have a great culture. But that would only happen if Mike Tomlin decided to take his mind off Kenny Pickett.

After releasing him today, the Broncos took $85 million in dead cap hit and have about negative $49.6 million in cap savings. Since Wilson is getting $39 million from the Denver team, he will have to settle for the league minimum for the 2024 season. Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots, being the two quarterback-needy teams, might look to check in on him (that’s when they can’t trade up for a blue-chip prospect in the 2024 Draft).

Again, getting signed to a minimum-paying deal has its pros and cons. An example of this could be the Las Vegas Raiders. They are rivals to the Denver Broncos and the Vegas team has a QB problem. However, he might only get about a million-dollar salary with his new signing. That will help his new team hire better talent and have a chance to win the Lombardi. These are the pros of his situation.

But it can all go haywire if the new team he signs with doesn’t give him the QB1 tag (because of low salary status). Hence, he would be in a crunch if something like that happened. Reviving his football career may become a challenge in the future. Hopefully, he is ready to take on them.