Russell Wilson had a lot to say to Brandon Marshall recently.
Wilson joined the former NFL wide receiver's I AM ATHLETE podcast and YouTube program for more than an hour of discussion. The program was broadcast on digital channels on Sunday nights.
Then Wilson made an eyebrow-raising claim. The NFL reportedly said the Broncos' request for Wilson to delay the start of his injury guarantee was illegal.
“My agent talked to the NFLPA, the NFLPA called me and asked, and I talked to the NFL, and the NFL said, 'This is illegal. You can't do this,'” Wilson said.
Officials say the NFL has not communicated any such sentiment regarding the situation.
NFL Players Association Secretary Lloyd Howell Jr. said the Broncos had “mistreated” Wilson when discussing the matter during a February 7 press conference in Las Vegas ahead of Super Bowl IV. certainly claimed. However, Howell added that the matter was resolved to the NFLPA's satisfaction.
NFLPA Executive Director Lloyd Howell said in response to the DEN's attempt to adjust the injury coverage situation in Russell Wilson's contract, “to state exactly what happened, or didn't happen, to Russ.'' “I didn't mean to, but the PA was involved.” And we reached a solution. ” pic.twitter.com/K0RzIh5oqQ
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) February 8, 2024
Wilson details reaction to Broncos' initial request
Russell Wilson said he was contacted by the Broncos about deferring his injury guarantee on Oct. 30, the day after the team won against Kansas City to end a 16-game series losing streak.
“As you (Marshall) said earlier, that's when I got a call and said, 'I'm confused. What's going on?' At first I couldn't believe it. I thought, 'This can't be real.' I did. So I got a call and was like, 'If you don't change my injury coverage, I'm going to bench you for the next nine games,''' Wilson said.
“They want to defer my injury coverage and cancel it for the rest of the year, so if I get injured, they don't have to pay out the insurance. ”
Marshall then cited the examples of former San Francisco/Kansas City/Washington quarterback Alex Smith and former Broncos running back Willis McGahey, both of whom suffered horrific injuries. McGahee was injured in his final collegiate game at the University of Miami, while Smith passed away in 2018 while playing for Washington.
“I didn't want to set a precedent for players to release injury guarantees. I never intended to do that,” Wilson said. “So when they said, 'We'll bench you, we'll bench you,' I said, 'Okay, if that's what you want.'
Marshall replied, “That's like extortion.” Naturally, the NFLPA and lawyers appear to be involved as well. ”
Wilson said he didn't want to involve other groups, such as the NFLPA, in the discussion.
“Well, I didn't mean to do that, but at that time… [the Broncos] I’ve been saying that all week,” Wilson said.
“So my agent talked to the NFLPA, the NFLPA called me and asked, and I talked to the NFL, and the NFL said, 'This is illegal. You can't do that.'
Wilson said there was “absolutely no chance” he would agree to a change in injury coverage.
“No shots. We're not going to revoke the injury guarantee. So I sat there and said, 'Well, let's see what happens,'” Wilson said.
It lasted until Saturday, November 4th. Two days later, when the Broncos returned from their bye weekend, Wilson said Sean Payton met him.
“I met up with Sean that Monday, and Sean was like, 'Hey, forget it, just like it never happened.' You're scheduled to play Buffalo this week. You have a big game against Buffalo coming up. We have to go win. monday night football. I'm like, “Okay.'' ”
Wilson will start seven more games. Denver went 4-3 in those games, winning the first three games after the bye and going 1-3 at quarterback in December.
When the bench finally started…
…On Dec. 27, Russell Wilson was embarrassed.
“When he told me that Wednesday that he was going to bench me, I thought, 'Well, we were just winning not too long ago,'” Wilson told Marshall.
Despite being benched and contract issues, Wilson wants to remain with the Broncos. At one point, Marshall began to throw away oddsmakers' favorites regarding Wilson's potential landing spot.
“Well, I'll make Denver one, because I'm there now,” he said. “And I think you need the ability to segment.”
“I think you have to have the ability to break things down because it's a business. At the same time, you have to try not to get emotional. You have to know that it's going to have its ups and downs. The wins are all the hurts. Healing me, it's really focused on being the best version of me and that I can control what I can control.”
Eventually, Wilson hopes to see that version emerge in Denver.
“I would love to go there,” he said.
“If it weren't for that. We have to get to a place where we can win again. That's what's important.”
The connection between Russell Wilson and Brandon Marshall
Marshall was briefly a teammate of Russell Wilson in Seattle. The two played together in seven games during the 2018 season. This was Marshall's 13th and final season in a career that began as a fourth-round pick of the Denver Broncos in 2006.
They stayed in touch for many years afterwards. At some point in 2022, Marshall and Wilson learned how the now-retired receiver was placed on injured reserve at QB when he suffered a latissimus dorsi injury in the fourth game of his first season with the Broncos. We talked about whether I had told them to come in.
“[I] I got the first down on a dive, but I landed weird and tore my lats, and I thought, “Oh, I might have to sit out.'' But I was going to go through with it,” Wilson said.
“I think part of it was, yeah, my first year leaving Seattle and coming to Denver, I wanted to get through something and be able to get on the field. Because, like you said, you Because I remember that I should have sat outside. For me, that wasn't an option.
For me, going to Denver, it was like, 'I have to play until the end.' And I want to win. All I care about is winning. I have played a match before and won. ”
Wilson never missed an NFL game in 2021 until missing three games against Seattle with a finger injury. He will miss two games as a Bronco due to injury. One game was a hamstring injury, a 16-9 loss to the New York Jets in Week 7 of the 2022 season. He missed the other game eight weeks later with a concussion.
