System Arbitrator Christopher Droney had no choice but to find that the NFL tried to get its teams to collude regarding guaranteed contracts, given the black-and-white clarity of the evidence.

Denver paid Wilson the final $37.79 million it owed him last year. That represented their share of the $39 million guaranteed he was owed for 2024. Pittsburgh somehow scraped together the other $1.21 million.

The Denver Broncos dodged a major bullet, as Russell Wilson demanded a $350 million fully guaranteed deal, nearly $200 million more guaranteed than he actually received.