The funny thing is that a lot of people who make a living in sports commentary don't know what's really going on here.
To be fair, it took me some work.
No, the Broncos aren't going to owe Russell Wilson $85 million in dead cap next season. That's the reason why they're benching him now. The Broncos are saving North of $35 million in injury guarantees. It's the same thing that the Raiders did with Derek Carr last season.
The plus side for Wilson is that the Broncos are going to be on the hook for $35 million next season no matter what. So, the Broncos will be paying Wilson a heavy salary to play for another team for the next few years.
So, before Wilson was traded, he listed the Raiders as one of the teams he'd be willing to be traded too. That seems like a plausible landing spot for him, and it would be a fun story to watch play out.
Wilson was bad last season. He was okay this season. He seems to still be an upgrade over Jimmy G or Aiden O'Connell.
What's more, the Raiders could probably get Wilson for $1.2 million, the veteran minimum. It doesn't seem like much a risk for the Raiders to give Wilson a year trial run on the Broncos dime.