Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton just announced that he will be retiring soon because of……

 

 

Russell Wilson’s tenure in Denver is still up in the air, but Sean Payton gave a clue that the Broncos are moving on from him when he said they can’t afford to lose out on “the next one” at quarterback.

At the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis on Tuesday, Payton spoke with the media and stated that the team should have an idea of their QB strategy by the conclusion of the next week.

When asked if he supported the notion of a quarterback solution, which has evaded general managers and coaches since Peyton Manning’s retirement eight years ago, Payton responded, “Yeah, we better.” It’s essential in our league, where our division is really competitive.”

After that, Payton shared a humorous meme that had lately grabbed his eye.

“There’s a fan of the Broncos who’s drinking quarterback ‘Kool-Aid,’ and he has like eight quarterbacks’ names crossed through his shirt,” Payton remarked. “It is our responsibility to ensure that there isn’t a line across this one.”

The subsequent one.

Wilson’s tenure in Denver appears to be coming to an end, as seen by his benching for Jarrett Stidham over the final two weeks of the season.

The Broncos have been examining the quarterback class in free agency, and this week at the combine, they will visit with college throwing possibilities.

After being traded from Seattle to the Broncos two years ago, Wilson has only won 11 of his 30 starts. Wilson stated over the weekend that he intends to return to Denver in 2024.

In the next five years, Wilson said he still wants to win two Super Bowls.

“I wish to return to Denver.” I’m hoping I get to return. To be honest with you, I would really want to return. On former NFL receiver Brandon Marshall’s “I Am An Athlete” podcast, which aired live on Sunday night, Wilson remarked, “I have incredible teammates.”

Wilson also persisted in his claim—which the organization has labeled as inaccurate—that the Broncos threatened to bench him in the middle of the season if he didn’t modify an injury guarantee in his contract.

After signing a contract worth about $245 million a year earlier, Wilson chose not to waive the injury guarantee. He went on to start seven more games before being benched by Payton for the last two games.

Wilson said to Marshall, “I didn’t want to establish a precedent for players to eliminate their injury guarantees.” “I was not going to do it in any manner.”

When pressed about Wilson’s renewed threat of being benched if he didn’t change his contract, general manager George Paton backed down on Tuesday. Payton said he hadn’t seen Wilson’s appearance on the show.

“We took care of that and carried on. Every action we took was legal, according to Paton. “Thank you, Russ, but we went on. There is much work ahead of us. It’s the combination of where we are. We are concentrated on improving our team and winning football games, even though free agency is quickly approaching.”

After two largely dismal seasons, the Broncos will need to let Wilson go by March 17, when his $37 million base contract for 2025 becomes fully guaranteed.