The Denver Broncos’ new ownership group led by Walmart heir Rob Walton became official earlier this week, making Walton the wealthiest owner in the NFL.
With money to spend, one of the first priorities of the new ownership group should be to give star quarterback Russell Wilson a contract extension.
Broncos general manager George Paton acquired Wilson via trade before the new owners arrived. Now they will be responsible for approving a new deal to keep the QB in Denver well beyond the 2023 season.
Greg Penner, the team’s co-owner and CEO, was asked about Wilson’s contract status during his introductory press conference Wednesday.
“At this point, nothing to say about his contract,” Penner said.
The team’s new day-to-day owner did have plenty of praise for the quarterback, though, seemingly implying an extension will get done.
“We couldn’t have been more excited as we were going through the process to see that the organization had made the trade for Russell,” Penner said. “It’s critical to have a great quarterback in this league and coming in this organization with Russellin place is a tremendous benefit for us.
“On our first diligence trip in May here, one of the first people we ran into the hallway when Rob, Carrie [Penner], and I were here was Russell. Right away, we got a sense of how positive he is as a leader. He is just such a dynamic individual. I can’t wait to see him on the field. I don’t know how much we will see of him on the field on Saturday, but we are looking forward to it.”
Wilson will presumably be seeking a contract somewhere in the range of $50 million per season, but the Broncos would like to keep details of extension talks in-house. Fans in Denver might not hear much about a new contract for Wilson until it becomes official.
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