Will The Broncos Cut Or Trade Russell Wilson? 2024 Offseason Outlook

A mistake was made and it's time for Denver to cut their losses.

The move to trade for Russell Wilson two years ago was supposed to provide positional stability for the team riding the quarterback carousel in the years following Peyton Manning's retirement. Short-term stability it did provide, but success it did not.

Two losing seasons later (although 2023's 8-9 record was their best since 2016) and Wilson has a foot halfway out of the team facility. The question now becomes, will the Broncos trade the veteran or let him loose?

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Russell Wilson 2023 Season Review

A stench can linger.

It doesn't matter that Wilson is a former Super Bowl champion or nine-time Pro Bowler. He suffered through the worst season of his career in his first season in Denver, burning bridges with fantasy managers across the globe. Mr. Unlimited found his limit.

That stench followed Wilson into the 2023-24 season, but he was more than serviceable as a streaming option for the majority of the season. Through the first 16 weeks of the season, Wilson was the QB9, averaging 17.7 fantasy points per game.

The Broncos were on the playoff bubble until they dropped a winnable home game against New England on Christmas Eve, essentially eliminating them from contention.

And with that, Wilson's season came to a close. Team brass decided to check what they had in backup Jarrett Stidham, who has been around the league for several seasons. The change wasn't because Wilson struggled, but rather something much messier.

Will The Broncos Cut Or Trade Russell Wilson?

As Vince Carter famously said during the 2000 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, "It's over!"

Wilson will not be a member of the Denver Broncos when training camp opens this summer. It's all about the money. That's why Wilson was benched for the final two weeks of the season. If he had gotten hurt, preventing him from passing a physical at the start of the next league year, the Broncos would owe him another $37 million on top of the $39 million he's already guaranteed in 2024.

Cutting Wilson in the offseason will put Denver in a cap space nightmare. There would be a massive amount of dead money ($85 million to be exact) on their books. That's not to mention all of the lost assets they gave up to acquire Wilson from Seattle to begin with.

But it's the only realistic solution to this impending divorce. Wilson has a no-trade clause in his contract and he has very little reason to waive it. That would force the Broncos to release him, letting Wilson choose his next destination. Money then becomes a non-factor. He could sign with another team for the minimum. Denver will be picking up the tab.

Which team in need of a quarterback will take the chance on the 35-year-old? General managers believing that a quarterback is their missing piece will gamble. But as we've seen before (à la Derek Carr, Andy Dalton, Matt Ryan, and more), a stopgap isn't always the answer.

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