For at least the next three years, Russell Wilson will have an extremely team-friendly contract with the Denver Broncos.
And with the NFL’s salary cap continuing to rise and other quarterbacks set to get big extensions in the coming years, Wilson’s contract should age well even after his cap hits begin to top $50 million in 2025.
Wilson is a not the NFL’s top-paid quarterback (his average salary ranks sixth), and he didn’t ask the team to reset the QB market.
“For me, it wasn’t really about how much [money], necessarily,” Wilson said Thursday. “It was about how many Super Bowls we can win. That’s really the focus.”
With cap flexibility going forward and a franchise QB under contract, the Broncos can be aggressive, similar to when they signed stars like DeMarcus Ware, Aqib Talib, Emmanuel Sanders and T.J. Ward during the Peyton Manning era.
“I had such an amazing first decade of my career, and the next decade, I’m really excited about,” Wilson said. “To me, what it [the extension] was really about was being able to win championships and being able to have enough space in the salary cap so George can make his magic and we can get guys like Randy Gregory when he comes on the team or other great players. We want to make this a destination location.”
Denver reached two Super Bowls during Manning’s four-year window with the team. The Broncos now has a seven-year window with Wilson’s new deal, and it leaves enough cap space for other additions in the coming years. It’s Super Bowl or bust time in Denver.
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