Sportsbooks have already posted odds on Russell Wilson’s next landing spot for the 2024 NFL Season. After a failed two-year stint with the Broncos and most recently being benched by HC Sean Payton, Russell Wilson looks like he is on the outs with the Broncos organization. The latest Russell Wilson rumors and odds suggest he will land with the Pittsburgh Steelers!
DraftKings Sportsbook’s odds have shifted dramatically. Wilson opened at +1400 to go to the Steelers but is now favored to go there at -110. For those unaware, these markets do not take a whole lot of money to move and usually won’t take too many big bets. It’s not like the Super Bowl where there are people betting millions of dollars. A couple of people betting a few hundred dollars each could have moved the market this way.
Russell Wilson Rumors for 2024
We also got a report from Adam Schefter last week that the Steelers may be interested in Ryan Tannehill, Rusell Wilson, or Justin Fields. This report has pushed odds for both Wilson and Fields to be heavily skewed towards the Steelers with Schefter adding that Mike Tomlin, the Steelers HC, is a big fan of Justin Fields.
Russell Wilson Rumors: Next Team Odds
Understanding all of the above, my brain immediately jumps to potential betting opportunities. If Russell Wilson shouldn’t be the odds-on favorite to go to the Steelers, who else should we be looking at? Before we dive in, you can find all of my official bets at 4for4.com where I just wrapped up my fourth consecutive year of profitable bets on the NFL. Join now to get an early-bird discount!
Russell Wilson’s Next Team Odds Per DraftKings:
- Pittsburgh Steelers (-110)
- Denver Broncos (+320)
- Atlanta Falcons (+450)
- New England Patriots (+450)
- Las Vegas Raiders (+600)
- Minnesota Vikings (+1000)
- Washington Commanders (+2000)
- Tennessee Titans (+3000)
- New York Giants (+3500)
- Carolina Panthers (+4000)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+4000)
- Seattle Seahawks (+6000)
- New Orleans Saints (+6000)
- Chicago Bears (+7500)
- New York Jets (+7500)
I’m not going to go much further down the list than that because all of the other teams have an established quarterback and are just a waste of time to discuss.
Let’s start with the Broncos. Wilson is technically under contract through 2028 but the Broncos could cut him in 2026 for a 31.2M dead cap. It seems unrealistic for the Broncos to hold onto him for two more seasons without playing him. There were also rumblings mid-season that Russell Wilson would need to take a pay cut otherwise they would bench him and look to move on. He declined the pay cut and then was promptly benched shortly after. I highly doubt he and the Broncos are on good terms.
So that rules out betting on the Broncos at +320. To be honest I think that may be the absolute worst bet on the board. Trading him away will probably cost the Broncos a good bit of money plus maybe a pick as it’s unlikely teams will want to take him on for his full price tag for two years. It is almost reminiscent of the Brock Osweiler cap dump we saw from the Texans a few years ago. Since the Broncos would likely pay for a reasonable portion of his remaining contract, Cap Space isn’t likely a massive issue but is a consideration. The Broncos got themselves in a sticky situation but it is still maneuverable.
Russell Wilson Rumors: Likely Next Teams
The Falcons at +450 are intriguing. They hired a new coaching staff and have nearly $30M in cap space. They made it clear they are likely moving on from Desmond Ridder and company which means they are very much in the market for Fields, Wilson, or Tannehill. They also only have the 8th overall pick which puts them in a spot that isn’t likely to get one of the top-3 rookie quarterbacks in the draft (Drake Maye, Caleb Williams, and Jayden Daniels). I don’t think that is a bad bet.
The New England Patriots absolutely need a quarterback and have the fourth-most cap space available in the league at $69M. Yet I don’t think this is a likely landing spot for Russell Wilson given that they hold the No. 3 overall pick and have been treading water (Read: Drowning) at the quarterback position post-Tom Brady. Taking on a re-tread QB with Wilson could result in another headache.
The Raiders make some sense but are in the division. Some teams still treat in-division trades as taboo. They have the cap space and seem unlikely to head into next season with Jimmy Garoppolo as the starter. They also hired Luke Getsy to be their OC which rules out an acquisition of Justin Fields who was a massive misfit in Getsy’s scheme (if that’s what you want to call whatever he was running).
The Raiders don’t pick until 13th which would even further remove them from the QB sweepstakes at the top and potentially even take them out of the running for JJ McCarthy who is rumored to also be a top-10 pick. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler actually reported that the Raiders could be a strong contender for Russell Wilson late last month. I think betting on Wilson to the Raiders is one of the strongest bets in this market.
Russell Wilson Rumors: Longshots
I’m considering the Vikings (+1000) a longshot because it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense for them to acquire Russell Wilson instead of opting to pay a player like Kirk Cousins. At this point any team who acquires Wilson would be thrilled with a cousins-level output.
The Commanders have the second-overall pick and look very ready to take one of Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels. There were some rumors about them trading up to the first overall pick with the Chicago Bears but it would likely have to be an overpay. The most recent reports refute that as a real possibility meaning they will probably stand pat and take a QB.
All of the other teams already have a quarterback slated to start including the Titans, Seahawks, Bucs, Giants, Panthers, and Jets. Among those, the Titans intrigue me the most. They have the second-most cap space in the NFL with $73M and could take on Russell Wilson as a veteran backup behind Will Levis while likely acquiring a pick.
Russell Wilson Rumors Betting Recap: I would skip the top of the board and bet a little bit on the Raiders and Falcons with a small sprinkle on the Titans at 35/1.
You can find all of my official bets at 4for4.com where I just wrapped up my fourth consecutive season of profitable bets on the NFL. Join now to get an early-bird discount!