The Denver Broncos were struggling to find any type of consistent quarterback play since Peyton Manning retired in 2015.
The opportunity presented itself for them to acquire a star QB in Russell Wilson, and they jumped at the opportunity.
In the trade to acquire Wilson, the Broncos had to give up Drew Lock, Noah Fant, and Shelby Harris, plus two first-round picks, two second-round picks, and a fifth-round pick.
While that may seem like a lot, especially in draft capital, the Broncos had to make the move.
Without having a very good quarterback, it does not matter how good the rest of your team is.
Every team can go as far as their quarterback play takes them and now the Broncos have a guy who can take them to the Super Bowl.
Denver made sure Wilson spends the rest of his career in Denver after agreeing with him on a five-year contract extension.
The deal will keep Wilson under contract for the next seven seasons and the deal did not reset the market.
Somehow the deal is not fully guaranteed, which is weird because Deshaun Watson got a fully guaranteed contract and he has had nowhere near the success of Wilson.
The one-time super bowl champion was not worried about resetting the market with this deal saying,
Best thing I heard from Russell Wilson today is his answer to why he didn't reset the QB market/demand to be the highest paid in the league:
"For me, it wasn't about how much. It was about how many – how many Super Bowls we can win." pic.twitter.com/oCb78BRGR5
— Romi Bean (@Romi_Bean) September 1, 2022
But, this deal does place Wilson just behind Aaron Rodgers in terms of average annual value.
Also, this deal makes Wilson the highest-paid Denver Bronco in history.
So now that this deal is done, what is next for the Broncos?
Long-Term Outlook
Securing Wilson for the next seven seasons now allows the Broncos to compete for the duration of his contract.
Playing in the toughest division in football, Denver needs Wilson to be great for them to have a chance to compete.
The Chiefs and Chargers both have young QBs who will cause problems in the league for a long-time.
Even the Raiders have Derek Carr, who is a top-half QB in the NFL.
Also, based on all the draft picks that Denver gave up there was no chance they could let Wilson leave.
Playing in Denver has now become a popular place for free agents.
Other NFL players will want to play with Wilson because his teams have always been competitive.
For his career, Wilson has a regular season record of 104-53-1 in 10 NFL seasons.
He has been named to nine pro-bowls and has five seasons with at least 30+ passing touchdowns.
Wilson-led teams have finished with a winning record every season except last year when he missed three games.
He has been so great throughout his career that he is in a unique company with a former Bronco QB,
Most wins through first 10 seasons in NFL history
(incl. postseason)Russell Wilson 113
Peyton Manning 112 pic.twitter.com/p0rSMDQ2Cz— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 1, 2022
Except for the fluke injury Wilson suffered last season that cost him three games, he has played every game each year.
His availability is not a question which is rare for a QB that uses his legs so efficiently.
Wilson has transformed into more of a pure passer over the past few years and that has helped him become one of the league’s best.
The Broncos needed to lock in Wilson as their quarterback for the foreseeable future and they were able to do just that.
NEXT: Russell Wilson Comments On His Only Goal In Mind