The Denver Broncos’ announcement Monday that they will release Russell Wilson next week is an official admission of the disastrous decision they made in 2022 to trade for the former Super Bowl-winning quarterback.
After giving up five draft picks and three players to acquire Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks, the Broncos awarded the quarterback a huge five-year, $242.6 million contract extension before he had even taken a single practice snap. In two seasons, Wilson appeared in 30 games and went 11-19, missing the playoffs. He was benched in late December due to poor performance, but also due to financial implications and the fear of Wilson getting injured and triggering guarantees in 2024.
The acquisition of Wilson and subsequent extension will forever rank as one of the worst trades for a veteran quarterback in NFL history. The Broncos, by releasing Wilson, would take a dead-cap hit of $85 million split between this year and next year.
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But NFL history is littered with historical warnings of bad quarterback moves.
The failed Daunte Culpepper experiment in 2006 is always on the Dolphins’ mind. That error in judgment was exacerbated by Miami’s decision to acquire Culpepper from Minnesota for a second-round pick, banking on the quarterback recovering from knee surgery more effectively than free agent Drew Brees was from in shoulder surgery. Culpepper played just four games before clashing with head coach Nick Saban and succumbing to the injury. Brees signed with the Saints and became a future Hall of Famer.
The Browns, entering Year 3 with Deshaun Watson, are venturing dangerously close to regret territory. They are still waiting for his return on their investment of three first-round picks, two seconds, a fourth-rounder and an unprecedented $230 million fully guaranteed contract. Can Watson change the narrative? The 2024 season may determine that answer.
But with the book now closed on Wilson and the Broncos, let’s rank the 10 worst trades for a veteran quarterback in the last 35 years. (We’ll save draft-day deals for college stars-turned-NFL busts for another day.)
10. Carson Palmer to Raiders for first- and second-round picks (2011)
When the Bengals decided to end the Palmer era and turn to Andy Dalton, Palmer’s former Bengals assistant-turned-Raiders head coach Hue Jackson and his team were buyers. Palmer had two forgettable years in Oakland, however. He played in just nine games in 2011, going 4-5, and then went 4-11 as a starter in 2012. Palmer has relived his career with four solid seasons in five years with Arizona, including a 13- 3 Pro Bowl campaigns in 2015, but no vintage performances for the Raiders.
9. Brad Johnson at Washington for first, second and third (1999)
After swinging-and-nothing at Heath Shuler and enduring a brief Gus Frerotte/Trent Green carousel, Washington thought it had found its man in Johnson, Warren Moon’s backup in Minnesota. Johnson had a Pro Bowl first season in Washington, but Dan Snyder played fantasy football the following offseason and wanted Jeff George to be the guy. Johnson was gone after just two years and went to Tampa Bay, where he helped win a Super Bowl. Minnesota used that first-round pick to draft Culpepper, who before suffering a severe knee injury was an MVP candidate. Washington still has not found a franchise quarterback.
8. Carson Wentz to Colts for a conditional second, third (2021)
Philadelphia’s valuable quarterback was an MVP candidate in 2017 until he blew out his knee late that season, and Wentz never recovered after watching Nick Foles lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl victory. His erratic play in his return didn’t scare the Colts, though. They thought that reuniting with former Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich, then Indianapolis’ head coach, would help Wentz return to form. But mediocre production during a mediocre 9-8 campaign in 2021 caused owner Jim Irsay to sour on Wentz after one season. The Colts have talked Washington into giving up two third-rounders and a traded second-rounder for Wentz in 2022. But they could certainly use the picks the Eagles netted DeVonta Smith, AJ Brown and Jalen Carter .
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7. Drew Bledsoe to Bills for a first (2002)
Because of Tom Brady’s meteoric rise, Bledsoe, the No. 1 pick in 1993, was spent in the 2001 offseason. In a display of hubris, Bill Belichick traded Bledsoe within the division, and the Bills eventually found out why. Bledsoe went 8-8, 6-10 and 9-7 as their starter while throwing 55 touchdowns and 43 interceptions, with no playoff appearances.
6. Rob Johnson to Bills for first and fourth (1998)
The Bills’ decision to trade for Bledsoe was an attempt to atone for a past transgression — the decision to send a first and fourth-round pick to Jacksonville for Johnson, a 1995 fourth-round pick that became 1 -0 as a starter for the Jaguars while appearing in just eight games. Johnson was named the starting quarterback for Buffalo after signing a five-year, $25 million contract, but he went just 9-17 in four seasons.
5. Brett Favre on the Packers for the first (1992)
Unlike the previous deals mentioned here, where teams gambled and paid dearly for bad trades, this is an example of a team not understanding the talent it has. The Falcons drafted Favre in the 1991 second round, much to the chagrin of then-head coach Jerry Glanville. Favre’s first NFL pass went for a pick six and he only attempted three other passes the rest of his rookie season. The Falcons then sent the future Hall of Famer to Green Bay for the 17th pick of the 1992 draft, and the rest is history.
Rick Mirer is a Notre Dame star but the NFL has collapsed at quarterback. (Scott Halleran/Allsport)
4. Rick Mirer to Bears for a first (1997)
The second pick of the 1993 draft, Mirer was a huge disappointment in Seattle, going 20-31 while throwing 41 touchdowns and 56 interceptions in four seasons. For some reason, Chicago thought the former Notre Dame star was worth a first-round pick in 1997. But Mirer went 0-3 as a starter after throwing zero touchdowns and six interceptions. The Bears granted his request for release next offseason.
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3. Chris Chandler on the Buccaneers for the first (1990)
The Buccaneers made the regrettable decision to essentially trade Steve Young to the 49ers in 1987 and draft his replacement, Vinny Testaverde, overall. But after just two seasons, the Bucs sent the second pick to Indianapolis for Chandler, who went 10-6 in two seasons with the Colts. Chandler finished 0-6 in two seasons with the Buccaneers.
2. Jeff George to the Falcons for two firsts and a third (1994)
Draft No. 1 by Indianapolis in 1990, George boasted a big arm but posted a 14-35 record while throwing 41 touchdowns and 46 interceptions in four seasons. Convinced that a bad Colts roster was to blame, the Falcons sent a boatload of picks to Indianapolis in 1994, two years after trading Favre. George did help Atlanta end a four-year playoff drought in 1995. But he clashed with head coach June Jones and went 16-19 with 50 touchdowns and 32 interceptions before signing with Oakland following the 1996 season.
1. Russell Wilson to Denver for two firsts, two seconds, a fifth and three players (including QB Drew Lock) (2022)
Believing they had a Super Bowl-caliber roster just missing a quarterback, the Broncos mortgaged the future with draft picks, players and obscene cap space to acquire Wilson, a nine-time Pro Bowl selection with a Lombardi Trophy in his his name Then-head coach Nathaniel Hackett – Aaron Rodgers’ former offensive coordinator in Green Bay – was supposed to help Wilson extend his career.
But Wilson’s best days are clearly behind him. In 2022, he completed a career-worst 60.5 percent of his passes and threw just 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions as the Broncos went 5-12. Hackett was fired after 15 games. Sean Payton got the Broncos head coaching job in February 2023, and bluntly blamed Wilson and the Broncos’ struggles on Hackett’s departure. But midway through the season, Payton became angry with Wilson and he and the Broncos threatened to cut the quarterback if he didn’t agree to renegotiate his contract. Wilson declined and remained the starter until the final two weeks of the season.
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He posted a better record in 2023 (7-8) and completion percentage (66.4), but it wasn’t until Payton switched to a run-heavy attack to reduce Wilson’s workload that Denver’s offense began to improve. Wilson finished the season with a career-low 3,070 passing yards with 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Now he’s looking for a fresh start, and the Broncos will try to rebuild without premium draft picks and limited cap space.
(Top photos of Carson Palmer, Russell Wilson and Carson Wentz: Streeter Lecka, Dustin Bradford and Andy Lyons / Getty Images)
