After two seasons, it’s clear the Denver Broncos’ experiment with future Hall of Fame quarterback Russell Wilson has failed. It is now widely expected that they will cut their losses by cutting Wilson, which would rid them of his huge contract, which has $242.5 million over five years remaining on it.
The Las Vegas Raiders, one of the Broncos’ historic rivals in the AFC West, have a glimmer of hope after two disappointing seasons in a row of their own. Former head coach Josh McDaniels is long gone, and new head coach Antonio Pierce has gotten a stamp of approval from his players despite his inexperience.
They have two stud wide receivers in Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers, as well as Pro Bowl defensive end Maxx Crosby. However, they don’t have a high-level quarterback, which has led some to believe they may go after Wilson.
But Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report explained in a recent article why doing so could be a bad decision.
“[The Raiders] aren’t really in position to draft one of the top prospects this year, so signing Russell Wilson to a bounce-back contract might be a tempting proposition for them,” Ballentine wrote in a January 25 column.
“However, the Raiders should consider what it looked like when Wilson was paired with a first-year head coach. The relationship between Wilson and Nathaniel Hackett produced one of the veteran’s worst seasons.”
NFL News & Rumors: Russell Wilson, Las Vegas Raiders, Denver Broncos Updates
Last season, Wilson had by far the worst year of his career after arriving in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks. Denver went 5-12, and Hackett was fired, which led to him going back to being an offensive coordinator, this time with the New York Jets.
This past offseason, Denver hired head coach Sean Payton, who once guided Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints to a Super Bowl championship. The hire led to optimism that the team would be competitive this fall, but even though Wilson played a lot better, it went 8-9 and missed the playoffs again.
In the end, the Broncos simply didn’t have the skill players around him they needed to make any run at anything meaningful, especially given the fact that he’s 35 years of age.
The Raiders may be in a similar situation. Star running back Josh Jacobs, who led the NFL in rushing yards last year, is about to become a free agent, and the team may lose him, especially since his production fell off a cliff this season.
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