Russell Wilson Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Earlier this week, the Denver Broncos decided to part ways with veteran quarterback Russell Wilson, ending his run with the team. But simply releasing Wilson certainly did not solve all the problems his signing created. But one of those issues became very evident this week.

On Thursday, the Denver Broncos decided to part ways with veteran safety Justin Simmons – a two-time Pro Bowl player who was one of the leaders on the team’s strong defense. The team made this decision to create salary cap space.

“Broncos are releasing former All-Pro safety Justin Simmons after eight seasons in Denver, per league sources. Moving on from Simmons, who went to the Pro Bowl last season, will save the Broncos $14.5 million against their salary cap,” NFL insider Adam Schefter said in a post on X, the social media website that was formerly known as Twitter.

A big reason why the Broncos are in need of salary cap space is Wilson’s contract. Though the Broncos decided to part ways with Wilson, they still owed him a lot of money on his contract and as a result will take a dead cap hit of $85 million – that’s $85 million that the team can’t pay other players that’s tied up in a quarterback who isn’t even on the roster anymore.

So while the team may be done with Wilson on the field, they will still be feeling the drawbacks from his contract for the next two seasons.

[Adam Schefter]