NFL Week 5 struggled to overcome what the Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts put on the field Thursday night.
The misadventures of those teams’ offenses, and specifically of Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson in critical moments, further exposed what was supposed to be an all-time great Denver trade as a potential disaster.
Wilson’s new contract with the Broncos runs through 2028, includes $165 million in guarantees and carries massive dead-money charges if Denver opts out early. The Broncos are all-in with Wilson whether they like it or not.
The Pick Six column stacks the best and worst contracts for 20 starting quarterbacks on veteran contracts, with Wilson’s situation prominently in mind. I’ve placed them all into buckets for a crystal-clear view of situations that can appear cloudy from afar. Only two quarterback contracts fit into the premium bucket, which I have labeled thusly: We know what we are getting, it is amazing, and these deals promote team flexibility so we can build a championship contender for the long term.
Wilson and three others fit into a more fraught category: We see elite upside with our quarterbacks, but there are also questions about what we are getting, and we’re in big trouble if our guy doesn’t play like a Tier 1-2 QB moving forward.
Only veteran contracts are considered here, because rookie deal parameters are uniform, as spelled out in the labor agreement.
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