Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson was benched for the final two games of the 2023 season, a move that coach Sean Payton insisted was made for football reasons (financial considerations likely played a role, even if the team won’t admit that).
During the team’s end-of-season press conference on Tuesday, Payton was asked what the team’s next steps will be with Wilson.
“When we get back and we begin this process of looking at our roster and where we select [in the draft] — there are so many things that go into a decision specific to the quarterback, which is significant, obviously,” Payton said.
“It’s too early. I spent half an hour with ‘Russ’ yesterday. I told him, ‘I don’t think it will be a long, drawn-out process,’ but it hasn’t been decided, relative to what our plans are. As soon as we know something, he would be the first to know.”
The Broncos haven’t made a decision yet, but Payton doesn’t expect the process to drag out. So, is there a scenario where the decision ends up being keeping Wilson on the team in 2024?
“Yeah,” Payton said. “Otherwise, it would have been like, ‘Hey, goodbye.’ I said that to you way back when. We’ll look at all the scenarios and try to do what is best for the Broncos. Communication will be important. That final decision hasn’t been made.”
Denver has three options with Wilson. The first would be to keep him, which seems unlikely. The second would be trade him, which could prove to be difficult. The third would be to cut him, which seems to be the most likely end to this saga.
The Broncos, though, haven’t made a decision yet — if Payton is being truthful. If Denver does eventually cut Wilson, such a move likely would not officially happen before March. Broncos Wire will be tracking all of the latest updates on Wilson’s status over the next few weeks.
