Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton hinted at a timely resolution regarding the team’s quarterback dilemma when fielding questions about Russell Wilson’s future on Tuesday.
After Wilson was benched at the end of the 2023 season, many speculated that he would be released after two unfruitful years in Denver. Payton declined to say exactly what the franchise has in store for the 35-year-old but teased a decision in the near future.
During media availability at the NFL scouting combine, Payton told reporters that a decision could come out in the “next two weeks.”
“Next week, we’ll be in meetings with ownership,” Payton said on Tuesday. “So I expect that we’re going to know fairly quickly. … Somewhere in the neighborhood next week. There’s a couple of factors here, obviously the cap projections came out, we’re further down the road with the draft class, so I would anticipate it being within the next two weeks.”
Payton’s comments undercut the resurfacing drama between he and Wilson following their first year together with the Broncos. Earlier this week, Wilson publicly spoke about his contract situation and the nefarious circumstances surrounding his benching, which painted the Broncos’ front office in a negative light.
“I got that call, ‘Hey, we’re going to bench you for the next nine games if you don’t change your injury guarantee.’” Wilson said on the I AM ATHLETE podcast. “I didn’t want to set a precedent for players to remove their injury guarantees. There was no way I was going to do that.”
At the combine, Payton claimed he “did not hear” what Wilson said on the podcast. Broncos GM George Paton, however, did reportedly listen to Wilson’s comments.
Paton said, “We’ve moved forward. Everything we did was above board.” He added that he hasn’t been contacted by any NFL teams about a potential trade for Wilson so far.
Wilson signed a five-year, $245 million extension in Denver following a blockbuster trade with the Seattle Seahawks in March 2022. His potential release this offseason would cost the Broncos $85 million in dead cap money.
