NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero has said he expects Sean Payton to explore every quarterback option this spring, including the possibility of bringing Russell Wilson back for the 2024 season.
Wilson coming back seems unlikely to happen, and it’s not the only farfetched QB option Pelissero has proposed. During an interview on “The Rich Eisen Show” last week, Pelissero suggested that even Kirk Cousins could be in play for the Broncos this offseason.
“I know that the track record on Sean Payton is he really has not played with a rookie quarterback a whole lot,” Pelissero said. “That doesn’t mean he wouldn’t this year … [but] he’s always wanted to have a veteran. I would fully anticipate that they’re looking at everything. …
“I would think that they’re going to look at all these free agent quarterbacks — I wouldn’t even rule out the possibility that the Broncos would make a run at Kirk Cousins. It will depend on the number. … if [Payton] believes Kirk Cousins gives him the best chance to compete in a really, really tough division … I wouldn’t take anything off the table.”
We included Cousins in our list of free agent quarterbacks Denver could pursue this spring, but he’s not at the top of the list. The Broncos will be eating a lot of dead money if/when they release Russell Wilson, and that would make it difficult to sign a QB like Cousins to a big contract.
The NFL’s salary cap did just get a big boost, though, and there are plenty of ways Denver could create more cap space.
Pelissero noted that Payton has a win-now mentality and he’s not afraid to go all-in, even if it means pushing a cap mess down the road (just look at the New Orleans Saints as evidence of that). It would take a lot of cap manipulation, but the Broncos could make room for a Cousins contract if they really want to.
So when NFL free agency begins later this month, keep an eye on Cousins. Teams can begin negotiating with pending free agents on March 11. The new league year (and official start of free agency) will begin on March 13.
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