Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson (3) gives a young fan a high-five as he leaves the field after the game at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver on December 31, 2023. The Denver Broncos defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 16-9 in Week 17 of the 2023 NFL season. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post)
Should Russell Wilson be forgotten and never remembered?
“Right or wrong, I kind of thought we should stick with him,” Porter told me Sunday as he and his son Jack took a break in the third quarter of Sunday’s Backup Bowl at Empower Field.
“The season isn't perfect, but we won some big games. And I would have rather seen us stick with (Wilson) and say, “You know, maybe that was bad money, but we're the ones that gave him a very lucrative contract… we submitted that contract, and I think We have this. 'I have to get through it.' (Instead, the (Broncos) bench him for two games, and they're going to gobble up $30 million in dead money next year and $35 million next year… I mean, you know, we kind of deserve this bed. We should be in it lay.”
As the Broncos, with interim coach Giff Smith on the headset and Cancun on their minds, hammered in the final nails for a gritty New Year's Eve win over a Chargers team, Andrew and Jack looked on in matching orange “WILSON 3” jerseys. Dad wore the Color Rush version; Jack, the more modern expression, watches with amusement as quarterback Jarrett Stidham celebrates his first NFL win while the clock probably strikes midnight at Wilson's orange and blue home games.
“I’m not a big Russell Wilson fan,” Andrew made clear as the Broncos won a rock battle 16-9 almost 10,000 no-shows ago. “He's fine, I think.
“But I feel like the Broncos have made these decisions, these big, bold decisions — signing Sean Payton, signing Russell Wilson, all those things, the new ownership group, (the hiring of) Nathaniel Hackett in the last one year, and we can just…” We don’t stick with our decisions. We cannot fulfill our obligations. And I feel like we should. I feel like if we spent all that money and draft picks, we would have given up on everything. We might as well get on with what we paid for.”
If Week 17 was indeed Wilson's final appearance at Empower Field as a member of the Broncos, his legacy — an 11-19 record as a starter, a trade that cost Denver four draft picks — was mixed. That was the reaction in Broncos Country.
“I don’t know if it was a hard decision for me because I’ve never been a Russ fan anyway,” replied Clint Holt, an Aurora season ticket holder. “It's a lot easier for me to jump on the Stidham (wagon)… I didn't agree with (Wilson) coming here after Seattle anyway. I felt like he was kind of on the other side… I felt like we were trying to do the Peyton Manning thing.”
Hey, Holt is all for changing his quarterback course. And its sails are aimed straight at the Windy City.
“I'm more like, 'Let's (the Bears) go after Justin Fields,'” he added. “I think Fields – I feel like he’s not living up to his potential in Chicago. I just have this feeling. And I feel like this change, bringing him here, is just a good fit for me.”
Holt was so ready to turn Big Russ around that he brought a Broncos “4” jersey to Sunday’s home finale. Also a beautiful one. Stitched numbers. All that stuff.
In honor of Stidham's first Broncos start?
Holt turned around.
“Britton Colquitt,” he laughed, pointing to the sewn-on name tag. “It was the only '4' I had.”
There's always eBay for Andrew Porter and his Russ jersey. For Jack, well…
“He’s 10, so he’ll grow out of it,” Andrew laughed. Then he asked his son the question of the day.
“Do you think they should have stayed with Russ?”
Jack shrugged.
“I don't know.”
“What do you think about Russ?”
“I think he’s a good player,” Jack replied.
And that's the problem, isn't it? Wilson is just… OK.
But with a cap hit of $22 million, OK takes up about 10% of the team's current salary liability. According to OverTheCap.com, Wilson expects to have a cap hit of $35.4 million next fall, which is at least 13.6% of the team's projected liability amount. The Broncos gave Big Russ a Nikola Jokic deal for Jusuf Nurkic's production.
The George Paton trade in March 2022 — when the revolving door behind center includes Jeff Driskel and Brandon Allen, you're in trouble — was risky but justifiable. The Broncos' contract extension, announced in September last year, is demonstrably reminiscent of Looney Tunes.
Don't blame the marriage. The marriage contract is to blame. NFL franchises that don't plan for or accept a quick divorce from a quarterback in his mid-30s deserve to lose their jerseys. NFL fan bases don’t do that.
“I totally agree,” Porter said with a nod. “We keep making these bad decisions. And then we reverse course real quick. Then make another bad decision, reverse course and make another bad decision. I'm like, 'Oh my God, you guys have to stop this.'
The sooner the better.
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