Getty Broncos' Sean Payton and Russell Wilson
The Denver Broncos are releasing Russell Wilson! They’re drafting a quarterback at No. 12 in the NFL Draft! Sean Payton wants to start Jarrett Stidham!
There are a lot of rumors and so-called reports floating around the Broncos this offseason, but head coach Sean Payton went on “Up & Adams” on Friday, Feb. 9, to explain that none of them are true because he doesn’t even know what will happen next.
Sean Payton Goes Back to the Drawing Board ‘Monday’
On the Friday before Super Bowl 58, Sean Payton sat down with Kay Adams to talk about the Broncos’ offseason.
Payton made the analogy of each offseason being like a puzzle where the front office and coaching staff dump the completed puzzle from last season on the table, spread out the pieces, and start again from scratch.
He also told Adams that the puzzle-shaking process hasn’t even really started yet.
“This idea we’re going to pick up from where we left off, that’s all BS. That’s not the case,” Payton told Adams. “So, how does that impact Russel? Good question. We start draft meetings Monday, so everything you’ve heard and read about us — Oh, we’re going to trade up, trade down — I can’t tell you the jersey numbers of these rookie quarterbacks. We haven’t even seen them yet.”
“You are looking to fall in love with a quarterback?”
“Yeah”
@seanpayton on Russell Wilson and the future of the Broncos QB position
Once the Broncos start looking at the 2024 NFL Draft, Payton says the team will then decide whether quarterback is a position they can “find it in the draft, are we going to find it in free agency, or is it in the building?
So, Russell Wilson still has a chance to be the Broncos QB, right?
Things Still Don’t Look Good for a Russell Wilson Return to the Broncos
“I think that decision is going to happen quicker than later, relative to Russ,” Sean Payton said of his incumbent QB.
This is a bad sign for Wilson, as it seems to mean that Payton and company have their minds almost made up, as long as they see a draft or free-agent quarterback whom they feel comfortable with. If they do, then that’s the answer. If not, the team could still cut or trade Russell Wilson and go with backup Jarrett Stidham.
But Adams asked Payton the all-important question in this interview, saying, “So you’re looking to fall in love with a quarterback?”
“Yes!” Payton replied.
Surely all coaches are looking to fall in love with their quarterback. But this answer also implies that Payton is not in love with his current QB1.
Getting Rid of Wilson Won’t Be Cheap
Russell Wilson had a better season under Sean Payton in 2023 than he did in 2022 under Nathaniel Hackett. His completion percentage was 5.9% better, and while he threw for 454 fewer yards, Wilson had 10 more touchdowns this season and three fewer interceptions.
Then, the Super Bowl-winning QB got benched for the final two games of the season after he wouldn’t renegotiate his contract for next season.
Wilson is slated to make $35.4 million next season and has a staggering $85 million dead cap hit, per Spotrac. And this is why Payton says the decision on the QB will come quickly.
If the Broncos cut or trade Wilson between now and March 17, they will lose an additional $-49,600,000 or $-32,600,000 against the salary cap, respectively. If they let that 3/17 deadline pass, though, cutting or trading them will cost them $-71,600,000 or $-54,600,000, respectively, due to the timing of his salary guarantees.
This all means that while no one knows the Broncos’ exact plans yet, a Wilson exit should be coming soon.