The Denver Broncos are searching for a new starting quarterback in 2024 as Sean Payton made it abundantly clear he’s ready to part ways with Russell Wilson.
Payton originally came in hoping to fix Wilson and believed the former Seahawks QB would thrive in his offensive system. But the 2023 season didn’t go as well as hoped. The Broncos started the season 1-5 after dropping some winnable games against the Las Vegas Raiders and Washington Commanders while giving up 70 points to the Miami Dolphins.
While it appeared as if the defense was the main issue, the offense also looked shaky, but Wilson looked improved, with 12 touchdowns and only four interceptions over that span.
Despite leading the Broncos to winning six out of the seven games following the team’s rough start to the year, it became clear Sean Payton was ready to move on from the veteran QB.
According to Diana Russini of the Athletic, Russell Wilson is expecting to be cut by the Denver Broncos in March, per league sources. The veteran quarterback was informed in late December of the team’s decision to bench him for the final two games of the regular season.
For almost two months, Wilson has known the organization was most likely going to move on from him after this season. According to a person close to Wilson, the Broncos reached out to Wilson’s representatives after their win against the Chiefs on Oct. 29 and explained that Wilson would lose the starting job and be made inactive for the rest of the season if he did not defer the injury guarantee trigger date that he has for 2025.
Wilson has $37 million in injury guarantees for 2025 that will become guaranteed on the fifth day of the 2024 league year in March. Lawyers, including some with the NFLPA, were involved, and no changes were made to the contract.
The Broncos never told Wilson if or when they would bench him this season
Denver Broncos Planning Aggressive Trade In Upcoming NFL Draft For Top 3 QB According To Report
The Broncos currently have three quarterbacks on their roster, but that will change. Denver will cut bait and release Russell Wilson after his mega trade and giant contract did not work out. Wilson will set the Broncos back over $80 million against the salary cap, which can be spread over two seasons.
According to Denver Sports’ Cecil Lammey, many people across the NFL expect Denver to trade up from No. 12 and will target one of the top three QBs, Caleb Williams, Drake Maye or Jaylen Daniels.
“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 QB, These evaluators believe the Broncos will make a BIG move up for a QB,” Lammey wrote on Twitter.
“It’s all buzz of course, but the Shrine Bowl is where 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 Sean Payton won’t wait on QB. He wants his guy NOW,” Lammey continued.
As of now assuming Russell Wilson is gone, the Denver Broncos current starter is veteran journeyman Jarrett Stidham, who has only played in 16 NFL games, almost all as a backup. Payton has him signed up for another year at a cheap number. Behind him is Ben DiNucci, who has played in three NFL games, all during the 2020 season.
Many mock drafts have USC quarterback Caleb Williams going No. 1, followed by Maye and then LSU’s Heisman winner Jayden Daniels at No. 3. Washington’s Michael Penix Jr., Oregon’s Bo Nix and Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy are names many think could also end up going during day one of this year’s Draft in Detroit.
As SI noted a trade of this magnitude would require the Broncos parting with their young star CB, Patrick Suirtain II.
“Dipping our toes back into the ice-cold water of harsh reality, any potential trade-up would surely see Denver’s superstar cornerback Patrick Surtain II leaving town, and that’s a scary proposition. In a world where the ‘science’ of evaluating quarterbacks is far from foolproof, the first swing the Broncos take on a signal-caller in the draft has to clear the fence.”
If the Denver Broncos are patient, they could land a second-tier QB like Nix or McCarthy to replace Russell Wilson and just stay at No. 12. But as of now, it sounds like Sean Payton wants to do everything possible to secure one of the top three signal callers of the 2024 class.