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Pack in the Pros

Russell Wilson has been Benched for the 1st Time in his NFL Career

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5 months ago

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Former NC State Quarterback Russell Wilson has played in 188 NFL games in his career, and he has started every single one of them.

For the first time in Wilson’s career, he has been benched.

Wilson’s numbers in his first season in Denver in 2022 were the worst of his career, but he rebounded well in 2023. He has completed 66.4% of his passes, and has thrown 26 touchdowns, with only 8 interceptions. His QB Rating of 98.0 ranks 8th in the NFL currently.

What the heck is happening in Denver?

According to JPAFootball, after Wilson led the Broncos to a win over the Chiefs in week 8, he was told they would make him inactive for the rest of the season if he didn’t adjust his contract. The two sides have been in dispute ever since.

Denver Head Coach Sean Payton is doubling down that this isn’t about finances. He is claiming this decision was based on their “desperate trying to win” and they are “looking for a spark.”

No disrespect Sean, but no one is buying this narrative.

This is about money.

CBS’ Cody Benjamin does a good job breaking down the dollars and cents of this whole mess.

Here are the details: Wilson is currently signed through 2028, but he’s only guaranteed money through 2024. That said, his entire 2025 salary ($37M) will be guaranteed if he remains on the Broncos’ roster at the start of the next league year (March 17), per Over the Cap. So it’s probable Denver will make a decision on the QB’s future before then.

The options: The Broncos can outright release Wilson by March 17, but doing so would actually result in a loss of $49.6M in 2024. Denver is already projected to be at least $18M over the 2024 cap, so cutting him straight-up wouldn’t be logical. Designating him a post-June 1 release, however, is a distinct possibility. In that scenario, Denver would eat Wilson’s 2024 salary ($35.4M) but actually avoid any financial blow to the 2024 cap. In other words, they’d save nothing immediately, but millions beyond 2024.

The other option, which is far more unlikely: trading Wilson. It’s not that the QB wouldn’t have any market; odds are he’s restored some of his value to other NFL teams after bouncing back from 2022. But a trade before June 1 would result in an immediate loss of $32.6M against the Broncos’ 2024 cap. Denver could deal him after June 1 to save $17M — the best-case financial scenario for splitting with the QB — but that would require waiting until the summer, well after the start of free agency, to find a trade partner.

The other factor in all of this: Wilson’s health for the remainder of 2023. Injured players cannot be outright released — without a negotiated injury settlement, at least — so that explains Denver’s benching of Wilson for the final two games. 

(CBS)

According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, Wilson is expecting to be cut by the Broncos in March.

How will this all unfold? Where will Wilson be playing in 2024? We will have to wait and see.

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Matthew is Publisher and Co-Owner of Pack Insider. He is also the Lead Pastor of The Point Church in Cary, NC.

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Pack in the Pros

Former NC State Punter Trenton Gill Signs with Denver

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22 hours ago

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May 16, 2024

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Former NC State Punter Trenton Gill has signed with the Denver Broncos after he was released by the Bears this offseason.

Gill was drafted by Chicago in the 7th round of the 2022 NFL Draft, and has averaged 46.1 yards per punt through his first two NFL seasons.

Heading into the 2024 season, Gill will compete with Riley Dixon for the starting Punter job. Dixon was the Broncos’ starter in 2023, averaging 46.3 yards per punt.

Gill’s career average of 45.8 yards per punt in college is the best in NC State history. In 2019, Gill averaged 47.6 yards per punt, which led the ACC, and earned him a spot on the All-ACC Third Team. In 2021, he was on the All-ACC 1st Team. All 3 of his seasons as NC State’s Punter rank in the Top-6 in school history for best punting average in a single season.

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Former NC State G Lorenzo Brown Named to All-EuroLeague 2nd Team

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3 days ago

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May 14, 2024

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Former NC State Guard Lorenzo Brown was named to the All-EuroLeague 2nd Team.

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Lorenzo Brown, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv

After injuries sapped Lorenzo Brown of his best form during the regular season, the Maccabi playmaker snapped back to health just in time and, as one of the stars of the postseason, has been recognized by the voters his second consecutive All-EuroLeague Team selection. Brown was the MVP of the Play-In Showdown after he erupted for 29 points on 7-for-8 three-point shooting – both Maccabi postseason records – plus 5 assists against Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz to send Maccabi to the playoffs. He then led the Israeli champs with 17.2 points and 5.8 assists for a PIR of 19.2 in the five-game series against Panathinaikos. Brown ranked third in scoring for the playoffs, with 17.2 points per game, and was third for the full season in assists with 6.1. (Link)

This is the 2nd time that Brown has earned All-EuroLeague status, earning 1st Team honors in 2022-23.

Brown plays for Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv in Israel, and this was his 2nd season with the squad.

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NC State is Tied for the 2nd Most Defensive Tackles in the NFL

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1 week ago

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May 9, 2024

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ProFootballFocus released this infographic this week, revealing which College Football Teams had the most Defensive Tackles on NFL rosters, and NC State was tied for 2nd with 7.

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Defensive Tackles on NFL Rosters who Played at NC State

B.J. Hill – Bengals (2018-23) – Career Stats: 285 Tackles, 22 TFL’s and 20.5 Sacks
Justin Jones – Cardinals (2018-23) – Career Stats: 219 Tackles, 34 TFL’s and 12 Sacks
Alim McNeil – Lions (2021-23) – Career Stats: 112 Tackles, 15 TFL’s and 8 Sacks
Kentavius Street – Falcons (2019-23) – Career Stats: 89 Tackles, 17 TFL’s and 7.5 Sacks
T.Y. McGill – 49ers (2015-23) – Career Stats: 45 Tackles, 10 TFL’s and 5.5 Sacks
Larrell Murchison – Rams (2020-23) – Career Stats: 37 Tackles, 5 TFL’s and 2 Sacks
Cory Durden – Rams (2023) – Career Stats: 3 Tackles

All 7 of the above players played regular season games for an NFL team in 2023. We will have to see how many of the 7 make 53-man rosters this Fall.

Junior Wolfpack Nose Tackle Brandon Cleveland tweeted with confidence that he will be #8 sometime soon.

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Mike Tomlin’s Thoughts on the Steelers Drafting NC State’s Payton Wilson

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3 weeks ago

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April 29, 2024

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Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin was ecstatic that NC State Linebacker Payton Wilson was available for Pittsburgh to pick up with the 98th overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft.

“We had to get comfortable with his medical and we brought him in on a pre draft visit. We allowed our medical experts to really get a good evaluation of him. We talked to him about his injury history. We were at a place of comfort. And so from that perspective, man, we’re really excited about having him.” (Link)

“Man, we’re really excited about Peyton. When we turn his tape on, we see him making all the type of plays you need linebackers to make. He’s a volume tackle player. He makes plays in the passing game from a coverage perspective via interception and pass breakup. He gets after the quarterback in the blitz game. He’s got a very well-rounded skillset. He’s a fluid mover. He can run. Had an opportunity to lay some real up close eyes on him down there in Mobile at the Senior Bowl, we’re thankful we had an opportunity to get him. He’s got all the hardware that comes with some of those things that I described being a Butkus Award winner and so forth. We had to get comfortable with his medical and we brought him in on a pre draft visit. We allowed Our medical experts to really get a good evaluation of him. We talked to him about his injury history. We were at a place of comfort. And so from that perspective, man, we’re really excited about having him.” (Link)

“I think you could characterize it as surprised. I mean, he is an award-winning linebacker, Butkus Award winner. Had an opportunity to get really familiar with him down in Mobile as well. But the linebackers themselves weren’t coming off the board at that juncture. So sometimes they make runs on positions at different times and it hadn’t been a lot of linebackers to that point. I think what he was number five or so.” (Link)

“We’re really excited about Payton. When we turn his tape on, we see him making all the types of plays you need linebackers to make. He’s a volume tackle player. He makes plays in the passing game from a coverage perspective via interception and pass breakup. He gets after the quarterback in the blitz game. He’s got a very well-rounded skill set. He’s a fluid mover. We had to get comfortable with his medical, and we were. We brought him in on a pre-draft visit to allow our medical experts to really get a good evaluation of him. We talked to him about his injury history. We were at a place of comfort, and so from that perspective, we’re really excited about having him.” (Link)

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