Getty Head coach Sean Payton of the Denver Broncos.
The Denver Broncos’ decision to roll with a roster featuring Bo Nix, Jarrett Stidham, and Zach Wilson at quarterback did not come cheaply.
Combined, the three passers will count a combined $13.1 million against the salary cap in 2024-25. But the Broncos will be paying an additional $53 million for the position thanks to the $85 million dead cap charge they incurred by cutting Russell Wilson.
Despite that hefty number, Pro Football Focus’ Trevor Sikkema considers it their “best” move.
“Yes, taking on a combined dead cap hit of $85 million to have one player not play for your franchise was the Broncos’ “best” move,” Sikkema wrote on July 10.
“Denver bit the bullet in cutting ties with the underperforming Russell Wilson and then tried to make the most of things by securing a first-round rookie quarterback on a cost-controlled salary with a fifth-year option. The Broncos made other solid moves this offseason, but the best was simply moving on from Wilson.”
Wilson left the Broncos with an 11-19 record, completing 63.3% of his passes for 6,594 yards with 42 touchdowns to 19 interceptions. He was also sacked 100 times and fumbled 16 times, ranking first and ninth, respectively, in that span, per Stathead.
The Broncos acquired Wilson to play under former head coach Nathaniel Hackett.
Wilson’s style of play never meshed with Head Coach Sean Payton’s offense, and the former was seen screaming at the nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback on the sidelines during the season.
“I wouldn’t say I’m ‘scalded,’” Wilson told media members on May 21. “I would say that if anything, I’ve just learned a lot. And I think that internally you get better, you get tougher, you use your experiences, you use the challenges that you’ve gone through to be the best version of you. And so I don’t blink, and I’m looking forward to the challenge and opportunity.”
Payton said the cap hit did nothing to deter their decision on Wilson.
“No … I mean, it’s always difficult when you take on a cap hit like that,” Payton told reporters during the AFC coaches breakfast in March. “We spent some time deciding how we were going to take that and then we move forward.”
Payton defended Wilson to a point in 2023. He also pointed to the infrastructure around him for allowing a poor situation to fester.
Sean Payton Defended Russell Wilson After Broncos’ Struggles in 2022
GettyRussell Wilson #3 and head coach Sean Payton of the Denver Broncos.
“There’s so much dirt around that,” Payton told USA Today’s Jarrett Bell in July 2023. “There’s 20 dirty hands, for what was allowed, tolerated in the fricking training rooms, the meeting rooms. The offense. I don’t know Hackett. A lot of people had dirt on their hands. It wasn’t just Russell. He didn’t just flip. He still has it. This B.S. that he hit a wall? Shoot, they couldn’t get a play in. They were 29th in the league in pre-snap penalties on both sides of the ball.”
Payton cited Broncos general manager George Paton and president Damani Leech as culprits.
“That wasn’t his fault,” Payton told Bell. “That was the parents who allowed it. That’s not an incrimination on him, but an incrimination on the head coach, the GM (George Paton), the president (Damani Leech) and everybody else who watched it all happen.
“Now, a quarterback having an office and a place to watch film is normal. But all those things get magnified when you’re losing. And that other stuff, I’ve never heard of it. We’re not doing that.”
The Broncos tied the Chicago Bears for the 12th-fewest penalties in 2023.
NFL.com’s Cynthia Freland projections from May had Wilson’s new team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, finishing with eight-plus wins next season. That is three more than Frelund projected for the Broncos.
Sean Payton Rejuvenated by Broncos’ Young Roster
GettyRussell Wilson #3 and head coach Sean Payton of the Denver Broncos.
Payton commented on his calmer demeanor this season and pointed to the youth of the current roster.
“There’s a new energy to it; a new challenge,” Payton told media members in June. “I think really it’s that challenge of working with the young team. Not just at quarterback, but I think that’s the one thing that I notice at least watching. I feel the competition, and I I think it’s part of what uh makes this job exciting.”
Wilson is also looking forward to his opportunity in Pittsburgh.
“I feel the fountain of youth. I feel revived in every way. Mentally, emotionally, spiritually – I feel confident,” Wilson told reporters on June 11. “At some point, you have to know who you are as a player, as a man, as a competitor. As somebody who’s been fortunate to be able to play this game, I don’t doubt it; I trust it. I felt really good last year playing; I felt really confident in the midst of everything.”