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With just two games left in the season for the Denver Broncos and an interim head coach, one NFL analyst thinks it’s time to make another big change.
Dan Orlovsky of ESPN went on “Get Up” and explained that the Broncos should bench quarterback Russell Wilson for the remainder of the season.
“They should bench Russell. … Yes, you have to. He needs to be done this year mentally. Yesterday was such a disaster. We just saw the clip of him being on the sidelines holding the football, down 45 points, but they have to give him the mental reset and move on from this season.”
Orlovsky wonders if Wilson is even a future Hall of Famer anymore.
“This guy has gone from Hall of Famer to ‘you have to be on the bench’.”
Can the Broncos Get Rid of Russell Wilson in 2023?
Before seeing Wilson take a snap in a preseason or regular season game, the Broncos went ahead and gave their newly acquired quarterback a five-year extension worth $242 million with $161 million in guarantees.
Wilson still had two years left on his remaining deal from the Seattle Seahawks.
Orlovsky continued to say that Denver has to think about moving on from Wilson sooner than later.
“I don’t think it’s outrageous to think, do we have to move on from Russell Wilson.”
Through 16 weeks of the NFL season, Wilson ranks 16th in passing yards, 31st in completion percentage and 25th in passing touchdowns with 12.
According to Spotrac.com, if the Broncos were to release Wilson for next season, the Broncos would face a $107 million dead cap hit. The following season, Denver would face $85 million followed by a $49.6 million dead cap hit in 2025.
It’s fair to say that the Broncos are stuck with Wilson for some time.
The Broncos’ Future Rides on Russell Wilson’s Shoulders
After years and years of finding a replacement for Peyton Manning after the 2015 season, general manager George Paton went ahead and traded away five future draft picks for Wilson with the hope that he would be the savior in Denver.
Instead, Wilson has had the worst season of his career.
Due to the fact that the Broncos are stuck with Wilson, Denver will have to find the right head coach that can improve Wilson’s play and turn the culture around for the Broncos.
“What coach wants that job? You have to find a coach that you can sit there and unquestionably say ‘this guy can fix Russell Wilson.’ By the way, is he the best guy for the job for the team also you have no draft capital to go fix the situation,” Orlovsky said.
Denver can’t afford to bring in another first-time head coach due to their recent track record of Vance Joseph, Vic Fangio, and now Nathaniel Hackett.
Fixing Wilson doesn’t mean that the Broncos have to hire an offensive mind as their head coach, Denver needs an adult in the building and potentially an offensive mind as a play caller to develop and improve Wilson’s play.
If there’s any hope of the Broncos snapping their seven-year streak of missing the playoffs, the Broncos must find a formula that will get Wilson’s play back to his elite level that he played at while quarterbacking the Seahawks for 10 years.
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