NFL rumors: Why Broncos could reopen contract talks with Russell Wilson after messy benching

Russell Wilson's future with the Broncos is seemingly over, but the two sides could reopen contract talks due to how much money he has on his current deal.

The Denver Broncos endured another miserable campaign in 2023, and with Russell Wilson having gotten benched for the final two games of the season, it seems like his time with the team is over. However, it turns out that the Broncos may not have fully closed the door on finding some sort of resolution when it comes to Wilson's contract.

After Week 16, the Broncos announced that they were benching Wilson due to his contract and the fact that they wanted to avoid having him get injured. Given the situation, it seemed unlikely, and still does seem unlikely, that Wilson would take a pay cut in order to help Denver out. But with all options on the table, it sounds like the Broncos may revisit these talks and see if they can find a different solution with Wilson.

“The Broncos are keeping all options on the table at QB — including the possibility of reopening talks with Russell Wilson about restructuring his contract to keep him in Denver for 2024. Wilson is due $39 million fully guaranteed next season, and another $37 million guaranteed for injury in 2025 would become fully guaranteed if he’s still on the roster March 17…Under the circumstances, it’s hard to imagine Wilson, 35, playing another down for Denver. But the Broncos owe him the $39 million in 2024 either way, so it’s not out of the question the team could take another run at tweaking the contract if Wilson is open to staying and better options don’t materialize for either side.” – Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero, & Mike Garafolo, NFL.com

Could the Broncos end up holding onto Russell Wilson after all?

There's no sense beating around the bush in saying that the Broncos handled the situation with Wilson rather poorly. The relationship between the two sides is reportedly beyond repair, and it's not exactly a safe bet to expect him to take less money from the team after what they did to him in 2023.

Still, the Broncos are desperate to find any solution to their current situation that they can, and who knows, maybe they can find an angle that appeals to Wilson too. But the expectation is that there likely is no way Wilson will be returning to the Broncos next season, even if Denver tries to find a way to get him to renegotiate his deal.