Russell Wilson’s Departure Sparked Two Rebuilds - But Only One Has a Ring to Show for It
When the Seattle Seahawks lifted the Lombardi Trophy last Sunday, it wasn't just a celebration of their dominance throughout the season - it was a vindication. A bold move made four years ago, one that raised eyebrows at the time, turned out to be the catalyst for a championship roster.
That move? Trading away franchise quarterback Russell Wilson.
Back in 2022, the Denver Broncos believed they were making the kind of splash that changes everything. They acquired a Super Bowl-winning quarterback in Wilson, hoping he’d be the final piece to pull them out of mediocrity and into title contention. But in a twist that few saw coming, it was Seattle - the team that let Wilson go - that would turn that trade into the foundation of a championship.
Let’s break it down: Denver sent Seattle a haul that included two first-round picks, two second-rounders, a fifth-rounder, and three players - quarterback Drew Lock, defensive end Shelby Harris, and tight end Noah Fant. At the time, it seemed like a steep price for a proven QB. But now, with the benefit of hindsight and a Super Bowl trophy in Seattle’s hands, it’s clear who won that deal.
Denver’s Gamble, Seattle’s Gain
For the Broncos, the Wilson experiment didn’t pan out the way they hoped. His fit in Denver never quite clicked, and when Sean Payton came in with his own vision of what a championship-caliber team should look like, Wilson wasn’t part of it.
Owner Greg Penner didn’t flinch. Despite the massive dead cap hit that came with moving on from Wilson, the Broncos chose to rip off the Band-Aid and start fresh.
"You prefer not to have that kind of dead money on your books because it can be a limiter," Penner said after the Broncos’ AFC Championship loss. "But I love the approach we took, which was none of us were ever going to make any excuses for that."
And to their credit, they didn’t. Denver leaned into the rebuild, even with one hand tied behind their back.
No first-round picks. A depleted cap situation.
But they stayed the course, and in many ways, they overachieved.
The Rookie QB and a Rebuilding Blueprint
The first major step? Nailing the quarterback position.
Sean Payton did just that. The rookie under center brought the kind of poise and playmaking that gave Denver a legitimate shot down the stretch.
"For any NFL team to be successful, there are some critical pieces," Penner said. "That gives you a chance every year to be successful."
With the quarterback box checked, the Broncos focused on building around him. That meant hitting on mid-round draft picks and finding value in free agency - a tough ask when every dollar counts. But they got it done.
The offense, while inconsistent at times, showed flashes. The defense? That group was the backbone of the team, covering for growing pains on the other side of the ball and keeping Denver in games they had no business winning on paper.
"I'm proud of the way everyone else handled it," Payton said. "We looked at developing young players and didn’t use [the cap situation] as a built-in excuse.
We evaluate wisely. We draft wisely.
We make these decisions regarding free agency with well-thought-out plans, and we go from there."
A New Starting Line, Not a Finish Line
Now, the Broncos head into the 2026 offseason in a position they haven’t seen in over a decade - young, hungry, and finally free of the financial weight that’s held them back.
“We just looked at it as, ‘We’re going to have some constraints. We’re going to have to be scrappy, and we’re going to figure it out and put a great product on the field,’” Penner said.
“I think that we’ve done that. We’re in a good position now in terms of cap space, as well as our draft picks.
That’s exciting as we go into this offseason.”
But Payton knows better than to assume momentum carries over automatically. He’s been around long enough to understand that every season is its own journey.
“Yes, I love the question, but man, I will not use that word, ‘take the next step,’” Payton said. “We go back to the start of the race. All 32 teams have to go back and meet their parents, eat their oranges, and get ready to start again.”
Still, this time around, the Broncos aren’t starting from scratch. They’ve got a foundation - a real one.
“That’s really important,” Payton added. “We do that with optimism and confidence from the journey we’ve been on. I think that’s important.”
Looking Ahead
The irony of it all is tough to miss: Russell Wilson’s exit helped launch one team to a Super Bowl and gave another the clarity to rebuild from the ground up. Seattle has the ring.
Denver has the blueprint. Now it’s up to the Broncos to see if their long road back - paved with tough decisions and patient planning - ends at the same destination.