"Desperate football teams often over-guarantee" - Russell Wilson's guaranteed Broncos contract baffles Colin Cowherd
Russell Wilson got paid and then some last week as the Denver Broncos finally came to an agreement with the nine-time Pro Bowler over a contract extension.
Wilson ended up inking a five-year deal with the franchise worth a sky-high $245 million ($165 million guaranteed), tying the superstar QB down in Denver for the next seven years.
Greener pastures appear to be a common sight for a modern NFL QB in 2022. 🤑 (via @SharpFootball)
#NFL #Browns #BroncosCountry #BirdCityFootball https://t.co/289qW4mzhU
The numbers involved in Wilson's contract, however, haven't gone down well with NFL analyst Colin Cowherd.
On the Colin Cowherd Podcast last week, he slammed the Cleveland Browns for setting an exceptionally high benchmark for quarterbacks with the $230 million fully-guaranteed deal for Deshaun Watson.
"What stands out to me is this ridiculous opinion that it should have been all guaranteed or he [Russell Wilson] was doing the Broncos a solid. Just because a second-tier organization like the Cleveland Browns, perpetually desperate, gave a guaranteed contract to a less talented quarterback - Deshaun Watson - doesn't mean a better organization has to duplicate it."
Cowherd didn't stop there. The NFL analyst slammed the swollen market for quarterbacks, adding that if it was up to him, he wouldn't guarantee any player's contract in the league.
"Desperate people, desperate businesses, desperate football teams often over-guarantee and overspend and overpay. The Broncos historically have been mostly well-run. I wouldn't guarantee anybody's contract at the NFL level, including a star quarterback. I really wouldn't.
"In no other business would you watch a lousy business overpay for somebody and go, 'Well, that's the new standard!' Since when have the Browns ever set the standard for anything?"
Russell Wilson contract extension: Where does Broncos QB rank among NFL's highest-paid stars?
As things stand, according to Spotrac figures, Russell Wilson will be the second-highest paid player in the NFL this season, behind Green Bay Packers star Aaron Rodgers.
Russell Wilson's contract is the third-most lucrative in NFL history, behind Patrick Mahomes' $450 million deal with the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Buffalo Bills' $258 million deal with Josh Allen.
In terms of average annual value, Rodgers' contract will see him earn $50.3 million this season, while Wilson will take home a reported $49 million.
Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray ($46.1 million), Deshaun Watson ($46 million), and Patrick Mahomes ($45 million) round out the top five highest-paid players in the league this year.
Russell Wilson’s deal means NOTHING to Lamar Jackson but EVERYTHING to the Ravens and the rest of the league. Teams don’t want fully guaranteed deals and hate the Browns’ Deshaun Watson contract. Lamar HAS EARNED THE RIGHT to ask for a fully guaranteed deal and I hope he gets it.
One player who could possibly gatecrash this list is 2019 league MVP Lamar Jackson. The Baltimore Ravens superstar is still in negotiations with the franchise on a contract extension.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit Colin Cowherd Podcast and H/T Sportskeeda