Sometimes in the NFL, the biggest wins feel like fourth-quarter comebacks born from utter chaos. Think Eli Manning escaping that sack in Super Bowl XLII, or Tom Brady’s 3-28 resurrection. For the Denver Broncos, the Russell Wilson era was less a Hail Mary and more a fumble recovery in their own end zone—painful, messy, but ultimately a chance to reset. But how?

Fast forward to 2025, and the Broncos are still swallowing a $32 million dead cap hit from Wilson’s ghost. Yeah, you read that right! Even though Russ is slinging passes for the New York Giants on a $10.5 M deal, Denver’s salary cap bleeds like a slow-motion replay of Von Miller’s strip-sack in Super Bowl 50.

As one cap guru put it, ‘Dead money doesn’t retire—it haunts.’ So, it’s likely haunting Payton and his team.

Here’s the brutal math:

• Zero cash paid to Wilson in 2025 (his guarantees vanished in 2024).

• But thanks to NFL accounting voodoo, his cap hit lingers like a bad hangover, chewing up 11.46 % of Denver’s cap space.

• Why? The Broncos front-loaded the pain, taking a league-record $53 M dead cap hit in 2024 to clear the decks faster. It’s the financial equivalent of taking a sack on 3rd-and-long to set up a better punt.

By 2026? Wilson’s contract vanishes like a Peyton Manning audible at the line. Until then, Denver’s cap is tighter than coverage on a slot receiver. As Sean Payton quipped last offseason, “Cap hell isn’t a destination—it’s a layover.” Well, it’s pretty clear the coach is being optimistic. But now, there is a plot twist.

Losing might have been the best thing for the Broncos. Wait….what? Well, let’s rewind a bit. Denver shipped two first-rounders, two seconds, a fifth, Drew Lock, Noah Fant, and Shelby Harris to Seattle for Wilson in 2022. The result? A 5-12 tire fire. Wilson’s passer rating (84.4) felt like a QB draw on 3rd-and-15. But that disaster forced George Paton’s hand: Enter Payton.

How Denver “Won” the NFL’s worst trade post-Russell Wilson

Under Payton in 2023, Wilson flashed vintage form—98 passer rating, 26 TDs, 8 comeback wins—but the marriage (yet the one with Ciara remains perfect) soured fast. Payton’s precision offense clashed with Russ’ playground magic. When Denver asked Wilson to waive a $37 M injury guarantee mid-season, per sources,“They threatened to bench me if I didn’t. The NFLPA stepped in—it was a CBA violation.”

The divorce cost Denver $85 M in dead cap. Yet here’s the beauty: hitting rock bottom let Denver draft Bo Nix 12th overall in 2024. The rookie’s 66.3 % completion rate and 29:12 TD:INT ratio already feel like stealing a franchise QB.

Meanwhile, Seattle? Geno Smith regressed, Pete Carroll retired, and their QB room is now Sam Darnold and rookie Jalen Milroe—hardly Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. Their draft haul from Denver? Mostly role players. As Payton might say, channeling ‘The League’’s Ruxin: ‘Victory isn’t always about the points on the board. Sometimes it’s about not setting your fantasy lineup on fire.’ Payton’s culture rebuild echoes his Saints‘ resurgence. He turned Denver’s 1-5 start in 2023 into an 8-9 finish—grit over glamour. The locker room now buzzes with the same ‘next man up’ energy that fueled New Orleans post-Katrina.

Financially, 2025 is the last gasp of Wilson’s shadow. With $48 M in spendable cap space post-draft and Nix on a rookie deal, Denver’s future is brighter than Colorado’s sunset over the Rockies. The $32 M cap hit? Just the cost of escaping QB purgatory.

In the end, the Broncos didn’t just survive the Wilson trade—they weaponized its failure. Payton didn’t rebuild. He didn’t reload. He rewired the franchise’s DNA. And in 2026, when Wilson’s cap hit finally flatlines, Denver’s vengeance tour begins. As Wilson himself would say: ‘Why not us?’