Feb 25, 2024, 1:25 PM ET
There is no more important decision for Denver this offseason than the quarterback position.
ENGLEWOOD — The question at quarterback is the biggest thing this offseason for the NFL. Denver Broncos.
El head coach Sean Payton Send to Russell Wilson to the bench with two games remaining in the 2023 regular season. The five-year, $242.6 million contract extension to which the Broncos in 2022 is now a significant factor in what the Broncosor what they can do, in the future, in case Wilson be released, as many around the league expect.
The expectation around the league is that Russell Wilson will be released by the Broncos in the coming days. Dustin Bradford/Getty Images
Owner and/CEO Greg Penner said at the end of the season that “the financial part is a significant component in terms of how it is resolved in the future, but it will not be what drives the decision. The decision will be made by whatever is in the best interest of this team of American football wins games.
Prior to NFL scouting combinelet’s review what the Broncos At the quarterback position:
Retener a Russell Wilson
One more year? Set free Wilson before the start of the free agency period will bring a dead money charge of $85 million to the salary cap of the Broncos throughout the next couple of campaigns.
That would be a move that the general manager George Paton described as “extreme” right at the end of the season, even saying that the Broncos They were “prepared for any scenario” with the salary cap.
During the week of Super Bowl, Payton He said that he and Wilson They had a “great relationship” and that no decision had been made. But, the house of Wilson in Denver He is for sale and multiple sources close to him indicate that the quarterback hopes to land elsewhere.
After a demotion to very public banking, and the declaration of Wilson After being threatened with removal from midseason if he didn’t agree to restructure his contract, many personnel executives around the league believe the chances of him giving the club some financial breathing room with his contract are minimal. One described it as “infinitesimal.”
Viability level: Little/none.
Move up the draft order
Giving up two or three picks to get access to one of the best prospects at the quarterback position requires capital… and quite a bit. Last season, the Carolina Panthers they sent to the Chicago Bears two first-round at-bats (’23 and ’24), two second-round at-bats (’23 and ’25) and wide receiver DJ Moore to climb from position No. 9 to No. 1.
Editorial Selections
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Los Bears They hold the No. 1 pick this year thanks to that trade, so assuming they would accept something that doesn’t rival what they received last April would be a dream. They know what it’s worth.
Los Broncos They haven’t had a pick in the first round since they selected Pat Surtain II in 2021, and they have wielded just three picks in the top 45 in the past four drafts combined.
Denver He has the 12th turn, so he would need to put together a large bid to climb near the top of the order. Will include Surtain or another high-profile player to complete a trade would also reduce the talent level on a team that hasn’t finished a season above .500 since 2016. Broncos They have six picks in April’s draft, none in the second round.
Essentially, they would try to add a rookie prospect at the quarterback position to a roster that must be gutted to get him.
Feasibility level: Sure, it’s possible, the price is scary.
Signing a veteran quarterback
Beyond a possible hit to the 2024 salary cap of $35.4 million if he cuts Wilsonlos Broncos they have to Jarrett Stidham on payroll for 7.3 million dollars against the limit. Overall, they project to be about $13 million above the salary cap.
The lowering of Wilson It would also determine which line of the quarterback market book agents would work. Broncos. Paton has said the team did not expect to appear in the “first wave” of free agency this year.
Baker Mayfield It was probably taken out of the budget of the Broncos in the post-scenarioWilson with his game. Gardner Minshew y Sam Darnold could accommodate the offensive of Payton if the price is right, but the question of whether any veterans who can be signed by the Broncos with a limited budget can play better than the 26 passes of Wilson In 15 matches it will be valid throughout the entire campaign.
Feasibility level: Still most likely, but with limited resources to achieve it.
Bet on Stidham
Payton inserted to Stidham in the lineup looking for a “spark” with two games left in the season. Broncos they went 1-1 while Stidham He recorded 40 of 66 pass attempts for 496 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.
Los Broncos They scored 14 and 16 points, respectively, in those games, among their lowest productions for the entire year.
Economically, the simplest way to absorb the consequences of the salary opt with the reduction of Wilson it would be if Stidhamwho agreed for two seasons prior to last season, retains the position. Stidham He said at the end of the campaign that he was “very confident that I can be the one chosen for us.”
It could also be a significant indicator that the Broncos They have decided to target 2025 to really find their solution to the quarterback position.
Viability level: A likely solution if free agency doesn’t pay off.
Recruit a prospect and wait to see
Los Broncos They could simply wait on the 12th turn of the first round, and see how the frenzy unfolds in front of them. If the quarterback you like somehow falls in your favor, select him and get him ready to play, when the time comes.
Brock Purdythe latest recruit of the 2022 NFL Draft, is the current patron saint for miners searching for gold on the second or third day of selections. But, he didn’t start a game until Week 14 of his rookie season, and the 49ers had a 13-4 team around him.
Or, having seen the frenzy, the Broncos They could move down the draft order, add some much-needed draft capital, take the best available players when their turns come, and take a quarterback they believe has qualities to develop.
That would leave Stidham, or some other veteran, at the top of the squad order, at least initially. The wild card is that many scouts and personnel executives around the league have already mentioned that they are not particularly excited about the potential crop of 2025 quarterbacks.
Viability level: Even with only six picks, one of them must be a quarterback.
2024-02-25 18:25:00
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