Former Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Russell Wilson had a tumultuous 2023 season. New Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton never really got along with Wilson, and the team threatened to bench him late in the season over a contract dispute. Needless to say, Wilson’s days in Denver are going to be over soon.
The problem, of course, is that Wilson has five years and over $200 million left on his contract. That is not going to be an easy contract to move, though there are plenty of quarterback-needy teams that may want a player like Wilson to start for a few years while they develop a younger quarterback that they take in the 2024 NFL Draft.
One team that does not need a starting quarterback is the New York Jets, who will have former Green Bay Packers star Aaron Rodgers back next season. Rodgers missed all but four snaps of 2023 with a torn Achilles. They are, however, in the market for a veteran quarterback to back up Rodgers in the event that he gets hurt again. Zach Wilson, the former second overall pick who was supposed to learn from Rodgers last season, is all but done with the organization.
With these situations being what they are, former Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum believes the Jets should acquire Wilson to be Rodgers’ backup.
Mike Tannenbaum Wants former Wisconsin Badgers Quarterback Russell Wilson to Back Up Aaron Rodgers with the New York Jets
While debating where Wilson should be traded on Get Up ESPN, Tannenbaum made the insane claim that Wilson and the Jets would be the perfect fit:
Mike Tannenbaum wants to see Russell Wilson backing up Aaron Rodgers on the #Jets
The reaction by Bart Scott 💀
(h/t @GetUpESPN)pic.twitter.com/1rR2SWDeW0 https://t.co/A4vwSlgTRB
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) February 19, 2024
“Yeah, I think he would actually be a great fit with the New York Jets, and here’s why. Pay him a million dollars and let him resurrect his career. I actually have experience with this. Vinny Testaverde got cut by the Baltimore Ravens. We signed him in June and he took us to the AFC Championship game that year.
“If you’re Russell Wilson. where else is he going to go? He has to resurrect his career, so if you have to sit for a year, why not sit behind one of the greatest of all time and then be a free agent again?
“Where is he going to go? He is 36 years old. No one is going to hand him a starting job. He’s going to have to be a backup somewhere.”
This notion is based on the idea that the Broncos would cut Wilson this year, which would result in a $85 million dead cap hit for them. This isn’t to say they are not considering it, but it would be an insane move to make considering it would take up nearly one-third of their 2024 salary cap.
Either way, it is easy to see why Tannenbaum did not last as a general manager.
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