The Russell Wilson era in Denver appears destined to be far shorter than the team imagined when it acquired him from Seattle two years ago. In 2023, Wilson was benched to avoid a $37 million injury guarantee for 2025 if he couldn’t pass a physical in March. Speaking of March, the Broncos will be on the hook for that $37 million if he remains on the roster on the 17th of the month.
That makes it likely Wilson will not be a Bronco for much longer and will instead be a free agent in the very near future. He wasn’t awful last season, finishing as fantasy’s QB14 while averaging more than 17 points in 15 games. However, that’s a far cry from his Seattle days when Wilson was a 20-point-per-game quarterback.
If Wilson is in fact on the move, there won’t be any shortage of suitors for the 35-year-old quarterback, even if he is past his prime. And while he isn’t likely to regain his No. 1 fantasy field general status from the past ever again, he could remain a viable No. 2 option if he lands in the right situation. Here are five landing spots where Wilson would be best served, in terms of real and fantasy football.
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Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons will most likely be targeting Justin Fields, as will most of the teams on this list, but Wilson would be a decent consolation. Atlanta has potential on offense, using first-round picks on Kyle Pitts, Drake London and Bijan Robinson in the last three years. With a new offensive coordinator in Zac Robinson, who has worked with Sean McVay since 2019, Wilson would have late-round fantasy appeal.
Las Vegas Raiders
Wilson going to Las Vegas seems like a total “Raiders move,” right? They’ll no doubt move on from Jimmy Garoppolo and look to upgrade from Aidan O’Connell, and the veteran could be their best bet. Wilson would have some talent in the passing game in the form of Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers, not to mention sleeper tight end Michael Mayer. His presence could be a boon for Adams in particular, as he was inconsistent at best catching passes from Garoppolo and O’Connell.
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings have a major decision to make this offseason concerning Kirk Cousins. He can’t be franchised, so the 35-year-old quarterback will have to be re-signed to stay with the team. If Cousins is blown away by another team’s offer, the Vikings could be in desperate need of a field general. While they could grab a “franchise” quarterback with the 11th or 42nd overall picks in the NFL draft, Wilson would be a viable alternative. This would also be his best fantasy landing spot.
New England Patriots
The Patriots have the No. 3 overall pick and have been linked to Jayden Daniels out of LSU, but other mocks have them taking Marvin Harrison Jr. out of Ohio State. In such a scenario, New England might pivot to Wilson to replace Mac Jones. This is not a great fantasy landing spot, but Wilson might have Harrison in the passing game in such a scenario. He’d be worth a late-rounder as a No. 2 option.
Pittsburgh Steelers
With the Broncos having to pay Wilson the $37 million guaranteed he’s owed for next season, Wilson could be a “bargain” for other teams, including the Steelers. If they’re unable to acquire Fields, Pittsburgh could bring in Wilson to compete with Kenny Pickett for the starting job. My guess is that Wilson would win such a battle, and he would have a nice stable of young, offensive weapons at his disposal.
