Deshaun Watson and the 5 worst contracts in the NFL right now

4. Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos — 5 years, $245 million, $165 million guaranteed

Wilson (and the Broncos) has played well the past few weeks, but the jury is still out on both him and the stage that his team is in. He is playing on a massive deal after Denver gave up a haul to land him, and his first season at Mile High was rough. Wilson definitely looked like he had lost a step, both mentally and physically, and while he's certainly been better in 2023, the Broncos are in a pickle.

At 3-5 following a very surprising victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, Denver is now 3-5, tied for last place in the AFC West, even after winning two in a row. They are not contenders this season, nor do they appear primed to challenge the Chiefs for divisional supremacy anytime soon. A full-scale rebuild may be the best course of action, but Wilson doesn't fit that timeline. He's going to be 35 in less than a month, and the Broncos are kind of locked into him long-term.

He carries a cap hit of $22 million this year, $35.4 million in 2024, and over $53 million in 2025 through 2028. Given the amount of dead cap that would result from cutting or trading him, Wilson will almost certainly be a Bronco for 2024, and it is possible that he could be moved in 2025 or 2026, but that would still involve a near-$20 million dead cap charge. That also does not take into account the level of play that Wilson will be at when he's 37 and 38; he could age gracefully like Aaron Rodgers, or he could quickly decline, which will affect whether another team is interested in trading for him or not.