The Denver Broncos will make their decision on QB Russell Wilson sooner than later. Speaking with reporters during the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine Tuesday, head coach Sean Payton says he expects a resolution over Wilson’s future “within the next two weeks.”
“Next week, Tuesday, Wednesday, we’ll be in meetings with ownership,” Payton said via The Denver Post’s Ryan McFadden. “I expect we’re going to know fairly quickly. I said at the Super Bowl, but I think more specifically, somewhere in the neighborhood of next week. There [are] a couple factors here. Obviously, the cap projections came out. We’re further down the road with pro free agents. I would anticipate it being within the next two weeks.”
For those scoring at home, two weeks from today is Monday, March 11.
Despite the league salary cap coming in significantly higher than expected, and Payton leaving open the possibility of retaining Russell Wilson, most signs point to the team moving on. Benched to close out the 2023 season, Wilson has been unable to lead the Broncos to the playoffs in his two years with the team. While his 2023 box-score numbers look respectable, his performance waned down the stretch and he made too many negative plays. With declining mobility — he’s been sacked 100 times over the last two combined seasons — and his desire to play outside of structure, Wilson doesn’t mesh with Payton’s more rigid system.
Pittsburgh has been repeatedly mentioned as a team that should entertain the idea of signing Russell Wilson. With Denver on the hook for his salary, Wilson could be cheaper than most other starting quarterbacks in football. But the Steelers have expressed confidence in QB Kenny Pickett, and signing Wilson would almost guarantee him a starting spot to open up the season. According to GM George Paton via NFL Network’s James Palmer, no team has contacted the organization about trading Wilson.
If not the Steelers, it’s unclear where Wilson could end up. With other veteran quarterbacks potentially available, notably Minnesota’s Kirk Cousins and Chicago’s Justin Fields, and a strong draft class, there may be a limited number of landing spots for Wilson. But the first step is Denver deciding on his future, which should occur, according to Payton, before the start of the new league year.
