Following Russell Wilson's release, the Denver Broncos are forced to take a $85M dead cap hit over the next two seasons, which is the largest dead cap hit in NFL history. The language in Wilson's contract states that he can't be paid anything less than $39M this season. Therefore, Wilson is getting paid that money no matter what team signs him.

Because of this, the new Russell Wilson contract with his new team will likely be a veteran minimum, at $1.2M, forcing the Broncos to pay the offsetting amount. Of course, this greatly helps his new team, allowing them to spend elsewhere while also having a Super Bowl-winning quarterback.

With all of that in mind, these are the three most likely Russell Wilson free agent destinations. However, it does appear that the Pittsburgh Steelers are the frontrunner to sign the former Super Bowl champion.

Photo byTroy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Russell Wilson Free Agent Destinations

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers are a team that has offensive weapons but has lacked consistent play from the quarterback position. Under coach Mike Tomlin, the team will have a great defense as they always seem to have. If they can just get some experience and stability at quarterback, the team is very capable of winning 10-11 games in 2024. I feel that Wilson will bring that to the table and help rejuvenate an offense that was lackluster under former OC Matt Canada.

One thing that Wilson has shown he is still capable of doing is throwing a great deep ball. The Steelers have two great deep-threat receivers, George Pickens and Diontae Johnson, that should mesh well with Wilson's play style. The duo of Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren gives the team a solid 1-2 punch at the running back position, and TE Pat Freiermuth has proven to be a productive player when able to stay healthy. It has been reported that Wilson and the Steelers have mutual interest and met with each other ahead of 2024 NFL Free Agency. I think this is the most likely landing spot for Wilson as well as the best fit for him.

Atlanta Falcons

Like the Steelers, the Atlanta Falcons have great offensive weapons and are desperate for help at quarterback. The Falcons just hired Raheem Morris from the Los Angeles Rams to be their head coach. Morris brought Zac Robinson with him from LA to be his offensive coordinator in Atlanta. Robinson branches off of the Shanahan/McVay tree and will run an offensive scheme that is similar to what those guys run.

I think Wilson would fit into this scheme very well as it is predicated on running the football to establish the play-action passing game. The Falcons are loaded at running back with Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier. And have some nice receiving options that include wide receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts. Not to mention that the NFC South is considered one of the weaker divisions in the NFL. If the Falcons sign Wilson, I believe they would be the heavy favorite to win the division.

Las Vegas Raiders

How funny would it be if Russell Wilson signed with the Broncos' AFC West rival, the Las Vegas Raiders? This would create some drama for sure as Wilson would likely be playing for the minimum in Vegas while making their division rivals pay his giant salary. Although it is unclear whether free agent RB Josh Jacobs will return, the Raiders still have one of the best wide receivers in the game in Davante Adams. Jakobi Myers is also a solid receiver who caught eight touchdowns in 2023.

The Raiders' defense played well down the stretch last season and should be solid again this season. It will be difficult for them to make the playoffs in the AFC, especially having to play the Broncos, Chiefs and Chargers twice a year. But the Raiders managed to win games down the stretch including a 63-14 win over the Chargers and a huge road win on Christmas Day against the Chiefs. Wilson could bring some experience to the position that Aidan O'Connell cannot do. I think that Wilson and the Raiders are sort of an odd fit but can see why Wilson would want to sign with them.