NFL Rumors: Russell Wilson set to follow Deshaun Watson and land fully-guaranteed deal
Could Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson be the next NFL player to sign a fully-guaranteed contract? NFL insider Mike Florio and former NFL quarterback Chris Simms discussed just that point on the Pro Football Talk podcast on Wednesday morning.
Florio and Simms discussed the Denver Broncos' new ownership group, which is led by Rob Walton, who is the heir to the Walmart corporation. Walton, who is said to be worth $70 billion, purchased the football franchise for about $4.5 billion, marking the most expensive team sale in the league's history.
NFL owners are expected Tuesday to approve the $4.65 billion sale of the Denver Broncos to the Walton-Penner group, led by Walmart heir Rob Walton. It will mark the official end of the Bowlen era in Denver and establish a new all-time high price paid for any sports franchise.
Florio and Simms believe that this amount of wealth will allow Walton and his group to sign big-name players to longer, fully-guaranteed deals. And obviously, the first player they would want to lock down to a big contract would be Russell Wilson.
Florio discussed the issue with Simms and pointed out that Wilson is set to benefit tremendously from the Broncos' sale:
"You make a great point, though, and we've talked about this recently as it relates to the fully guaranteed Deshaun Watson contract. Some teams can't put those Mega millions in escrow.
"The Cardinals, it was believed, weren't going to go close to the $230 million fully guaranteed because Michael Bidwell either can't or won't put $170 million in escrow if you're going to do a $230 million fully guaranteed contract.
"The way that the Browns have to handle this, I was told back at the time it was done by next March 31st, $170 million needs to be put in escrow. Some teams can do it. Some teams can. And Russell Wilson, he's the big winner yesterday, baby… Because he's getting a fully guaranteed contract. I don't know if he gets a percentage of the cap, but he gets a fully guaranteed contract."
How would a fully-guaranteed deal for Russell Wilson affect the rest of the AFC West?
Both Mike Florio and Chris Simms believe that the newly acquired Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson is in prime position to receive a big contract. They also feel this is what is going to distinguish the Broncos from teams like the Raiders in the AFC West.
The Rob Walton group now owns the #Broncos for a record purchase price of $4.65B and he is by far richest owner in sports. Walton expresses confidence in GM George Paton, HC Nathaniel Hackett and QB Russell Wilson. Walton references stadium has 10 years on lease. https://t.co/D2zyzZJkZP
This will then put pressure on Las Vegas Raiders team owner Mark Davis. Davis doesn't have the type of cash on hand to sign players to lucrative long-term deals. He will also be unable to give them hundreds of millions of dollars upfront.
Mark Rodgers, who is Russell Wilson's agent, was spotted at practice this week, on the same day that the new ownership group was in attendance. Whether a new contract for Wilson is already in the works is unclear, but it seems quite likely.
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