Getty Denver Broncos HC Sean Payton walks on the field ahead of a game against the Chicago Bears.
While we still don’t know if the Denver Broncos are going to keep quarterback Russell Wilson or move on from him, the odds are we will likely see a new gun-slinger in Denver.
According to Cecil Lammey of Denversports.com, people he’s spoken to think head coach Sean Payton isn’t going to wait around for a new quarterback.
“There is a belief by many in the scouting community that Sean Payton has something cooking for the early portion of the NFL Draft. People I trust do not see Denver waiting for a falling quarterback. These evaluators believe the Broncos will make a big move up for a quarterback.”
With Lammey recently at the East West Shrine Bowl, he’s also mentioned that Payton wants his quarterback now.
“It’s all buzz of course, but the Shrine Bowl is where the serious go to kick off draft season. The NFL thinks Payton is going to move up, no matter what. Don’t ask about compensation. Some think it won’t matter because Payton won’t wait on quarterback. He wants his guy now.”
Who Could Denver Target?
Currently the Broncos own the 12th overall pick and only have six draft picks in the 2024 NFL Draft. Denver doesn’t own a pick in the second-round after they traded it to the New Orleans Saints as part of their trade for Payton.
With there being four to six quarterback-needy teams ahead of the Broncos, it will be difficult to make a trade to move up for a guy that Payton loves.
According to ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr.’s first mock draft of the year, he has three quarterbacks going in the top three picks and not another quarterback going until the 16th pick with the Seattle Seahawks.
Kiper doesn’t have another quarterback going in the first-round, but things will likely change in upcoming weeks.
Per Lammey, there seems to be a perfect quarterback for Payton.
“Right now, people I trust see Drake Maye as the perfect fit for Sean Payton. There is a belief that Jayden Daniels could go off the board higher than Maye, but these two are likely to go near back-to-back in the NFL Draft.”
Lammey also thinks there’s another quarterback that could be a target for the Broncos.
“Entering the week of practice for the Senior Bowl, it’s my belief that scouts are most interested in seeing Bo Nix. This is a huge week for him, and yes, I believe he’s a target for the Broncos, but I think something else could be coming. Stay tuned.
In his final year with the Oregon Ducks, Nix threw for 4,508 yards and 45 touchdowns to just three interceptions.
Could Denver Keep Wilson?
Currently, the Broncos are staring at an $85 million dead cap hit if they release Wilson early in 2024, but they can lower that cap hit as well.
If the Broncos wait to release Wilson after June 1, that would divide the dead money over the 2024 ($35.4 million) and 2025 seasons ($49.6 million), per NFL Network’s James Palmer.
So far, the Broncos have not made their decision on if they want to move on from Wilson or not.
Now, because of Wilson’s big dead cap hit, they could easily run in back with Wilson for another year and look to find a new quarterback in 2025 if things don’t improve.
The Broncos could also keep Wilson as the starter while still drafting a quarterback and let that rookie pass sit and learn behind the former Super Bowl champion. This would be a similar scenario to what the Kansas City Chiefs did by drafting Patrick Mahomes in the first-round and letting him sit for nearly the whole season behind Pro Bowler, Alex Smith.
Either way, the Broncos need to find the right guy that will succeed under Payton to get the franchise back into the playoffs for the first time since the 2015 season.