Russell Wilson trade could get even worse for Broncos after Steelers deal

The worst trade in NFL history could be getting a whole lot worse very soon. It was a bad two-year marriage for Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos. From "Let's Ride!", to Mile High catching on fire, to having that Wolverine blood in him, to Nathaniel Hackett getting fired midway through year one, to getting benched, to doing high knees in the aisle during a transatlantic flight... this was so exhausting.

Well, since The Walton-Penner Family can just print money whenever they feel like, Wilson is on a new team now. He is making the veteran's minimum of around $1.2 million for 2024 to compete for the starting quarterback job with Kenny Pickett on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Mr. Unlimited vs. The Fake Slide King, who wouldn't want to see that? Probably most Yinzers, but it beats Denver's situation.

Saddled with paying over $37 million of his 2024 salary, the Broncos are about to be one of the worst teams in football. They have the No. 12 overall pick, pressured to reach on a quarterback the likes of Bo Nix coming out of Oregon. Even if Nix or whoever ends up being a pretty decent player, it would absolutely stink to see Wilson lead these never-say-die Steelers to something around a 10-7 record.

I wish I could see the expression on George Paton's face over the cap monstrosity he has created.

Russell Wilson trade could get so much worse for the Denver Broncos

It is not just the big number the Broncos have to eat in letting Wilson go, nor it is the possibility of him having a great season in Pittsburgh en route to reclaiming his sunken career. There are a few other ancillary effects from this trade that we have not fully manifested just yet.

The first is this. Man, is there a lot of pressure on getting the quarterback right. Either trading for Justin Fields or drafting a Bo Nix...

The Broncos get that wrong (again) and will be back to square one in a jif. Another wrinkle is if the team is absolute dog water, what is to say the Walton-Penners won't fire head coach Sean Payton after two seasons? He didn't sign up for this, even though he most definitely did. And three, what if Paton convinces ownership that he can fix what he most shamelessly destroyed? Buckle up, Denver!

Ultimately, there are few franchises with less hope right now than the Denver Broncos. You can put them on a shortlist of maybe four or five teams we are absolutely sure will not be making the postseason. If the New York Jets get it right for once, the Broncos will then hold the longest active playoff drought streak. It has been a painfully long time since Peyton Manning won Super Bowl 50.

It feels far more likely that the Broncos will come out of the Wilson trade even worse after the season.