Sean Payton was brought to Denver this season to help Russell Wilson get back on track, but after a 1-5 start, the question for the Broncos is if the 34-year-old is in the team’s future.
It might be unfair to solely blame Wilson for the Broncos’ struggles. The veteran quarterback is seventh in combined EPA per play and completion percentage over expected, and Denver’s offense ranks 16th in EPA per play. The problem for the offense has been it typically plays from behind no thanks to a defense that ranks last in EPA per play.
But this is Wilson’s second season after the Broncos traded away multiple key assets to acquire him, and he’s more likely to get the blame than a head coach who also was acquired after trading multiple assets.
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ESPN insiders Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano on Wednesday suggested Broncos fans should be worried about Wilson’s massive contract, and they noted what Payton could do if things don’t turn around for the quarterback.
“… Would Payton pull him for Jarrett Stidham?” Fowler wrote. “The Denver coach seemed smitten when discussing Stidham’s ceiling at the NFL owners meetings in March. That would be a drastic move, but one that could make sense on a financial level if the losses pile up into mid-to-late November.
“Yes, I believe there is a non-zero chance it gets to the point where Wilson gets benched for Stidham,” Graziano said. “The Broncos gave Stidham real money in the offseason, more than you’d have thought would be necessary to secure his services as a backup.
“If it gets to the point where they’re totally cooked (which they might be already), and they’re confronting the possibility that Wilson gets injured and those 2025 guarantees become an issue, Payton would consider such a move — similar to what Josh McDaniels did with Stidham and Carr last season in Las Vegas. Stidham could potentially be an option for the Broncos in the long term, so it might make sense to get a look at him before making draft plans. I think it’s on the table, yes.”
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Stidham signed a two-year, $10 million contract with the Broncos this past offseason, and he got his first start of his NFL career last season with the Raiders.
Denver is off the hook in terms of draft picks in the Wilson trade, but it doesn’t have its second- and third-round picks in the 2024 NFL Draft due to the Payton trade. That makes things difficult for the quarterback market the Broncos would enter if they choose to move on from Wilson, which is why Graziano suggested Stidham could get a rehearsal for a long-term position.
The failure of the Wilson and Payton trades could make it a cautionary tale for other franchises looking to make splash moves, especially amid speculation the New England Patriots would trade Bill Belichick.
Featured image via Denny Medley/USA TODAY Sports Images
