Russell Wilson Released …

The big news yesterday was the decision by the Denver Broncos to release Russell Wilson; and in so doing, the team will eat about $89M in dead cap money.  Without going into the minutiae of NFL salary cap mathematics, “dead cap money” means that there will be a charge against the salary cap for the Broncos allotted to a player who will not be on their team while the charge is in effect.  As I understand it, the Broncos will have to deal with these dead cap numbers:

• 2024 season = $35.4M
• 2025 season = $53.6M

When the Broncos traded for Wilson here is what they gave to the Seahawks:

• Two first round picks
• Two second round picks
• One fifth round pick
• A backup QB – – Drew Lock
• A tight end – – Noah Fant
• A defensive lineman – – Shelby Harris

That was back in 2022 which means that the Broncos have not had those assets for two seasons, have not made the playoffs with Wilson and now will have to construct their squads for 2024 and 2025 with significant dead cap charges on their books.  That trade is probably not as bad as the famous “Herschel Walker trade” back in the 1980s, but this one is still pretty awful.

So, where might Russell Wilson go to ply his trade later this year?  On the assumption that he wants a starting job and not a backup job, I think there are eight possibilities around the league:

1. Bucs:  If Baker Mayfield signs elsewhere, that leaves the Bucs with Kyle Trask and John Wolford.
2. Commanders:  If they sign Wilson, they can then consider trading the #2 pick in the draft for multiple picks that the team needs to patch more than a few holes in the roster.
3. Falcons:  Rumor has it that they want Kirk Cousins but if he re-signs with the Vikes or goes elsewhere, the Falcons would be in play here.  Russell Wilson is not the QB he was 5 years ago, but he is better than what the Falcons put on the field last season.
4. Giants:  What is the prognosis on Daniel Jones’ rehab and availability next season?
5. Raiders:  Wilson is an upgrade over what they have on the roster now plus it would put Wilson in the AFC West where he could face the Broncos twice a year…
6. Steelers:  Is Kenny Pickett “the guy”?  Is Mason Rudolph “the guy”?
7. Titans:  Is Will Levis “the guy”?  Ryan Tannehill is not “the guy”.
8. Vikes: If Kirk Cousins packs up and leaves town …

I have the Vikes on this list knowing that there are rumors out there that what the Vikes want to do if Kirk Cousins signs elsewhere is to trade up in the Draft to #3 (owned by the Pats as of now) to take a QB in this draft.  Supposedly, the Pats want three first round picks plus “other considerations” as a minimum for such an exchange.  That is a hefty price for any team to pay.

Switching gears …  “Mattress Mack” is back at it again.  Mack is the owner of Gallery Furniture in Houston, and he bets on local teams to win championships and uses that wager as a hedge against a major offer he makes to customers at his furniture store.  Mack bet $1M on the Houston Cougars to win the NCAA men’s basketball championship next month; he got +750 odds on the wager, so he stands to win $7.5M.  The deal he offers to furniture customers goes along these lines:

• Buy a certain amount of furniture over a defined period and pay for the purchase.
• Keep the receipts because if Houston wins the basketball tournament, your purchase price will be refunded.
• If Houston loses, some or all of Mack’s $1M losing bet will be covered by profits from the increased furniture sales generated by his promotion.

For the record, the Houston Cougars lead the Big-12 in basketball as of this morning with a conference record of 13-3 and an overall record of 26-3.  In a year with no dominant team on the national scene, the Cougars have a real shot at winning it all – – for themselves and for “Mattress Mack”.

While on the subject of wagering on sporting endeavors, the gambling industry generated $10,92B in profits for calendar year 2023 and registered a total handle of $119.8B for that same time period.  Those numbers also generated $14.4B in revenues for states where legal gambling exists meaning the States made more money than the operators.

Finally, some closing words today from Jacques Plante, former goaltender for the Montreal Canadiens:

“How would you like a job where, every time you make a mistake, a big red light goes on and 18,000 people boo?

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………