This is where Russell Wilson could land next.
What had long been rumored going back towards the end of the NFL regular season, the Denver Broncos have announced they will cut quarterback Russell Wilson at the start of the new season, beginning March 13. Wilson only donned the Broncos’ navy and orange colors for two seasons.
Entering a new era in Broncos football two seasons ago, with a new head coach, former Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, Denver seemed like a quarterback away from being in the hunt, particularly in the competitive AFC West. That’s why it made all the sense in the world for the Broncos, at least at the time, to give up the farm for Wilson, who was a decorated, former Super Bowl champion.
But in the end, the Broncos never truly won with Wilson — and that’s not exclusively just a loss of games. The Broncos sent three players and, in total, six draft picks for the former Seattle Seahawks quarterback. Two of those were first-round picks in 2022 and 2023. But now Denver will be having to eat $85 million in dead money against their salary cap over the next two seasons.
Where Denver goes from here is unknown, and that’s likely to be speculated a lot as the 2024 NFL Draft and free agency are upcoming. But perhaps the bigger question is where does Russell Wilson land now? There are bound to be likewise tons of speculation on his next destination in a league that is full of quarterback-needy teams.
Thank You Broncos Country 🙏🏾 – #3 pic.twitter.com/3IoVheYVyI
— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) March 4, 2024
Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons have been without reliable quarterback play since Matt Ryan was traded to the Indianapolis Colts. Desmond Ridder clearly doesn’t seem to be the answer, and if new head coach Raheem Morris doesn’t want to be like the former coach, then finding a quarterback is essential.
The great thing about the Falcons is that Russell Wilson could be a bit of a gap starting quarterbacks. They could sign Wilson to a one to three-year deal and have his successor waiting by either drafting a quarterback in this year’s or next year’s draft. Another plus to getting Wilson is that he will more than likely be cheap with all that money the Broncos will owe him.
What’s intriguing for Wilson with the Falcons is that they are potentially a quarterback away from being possible serious contenders, especially being in such a weak NFC South.
Pittsburgh Steelers
In similar fashion, the Steelers haven’t been relevant at quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger. Hometown favorite, former Pitt Panther and current starter Kenny Pickett has proven that he is not the answer, playing average at best. And what’s behind him is nothing to brag about either.
With both young and veteran talent all around the upcoming 2024 Steelers team, it seems all that they could be missing is a quarterback to not only get them into the playoffs but make a deep run. They’ll hope that, ironically enough, former Falcons head coach Arthur Smith will be able to help in some regard as the team’s new offensive coordinator, but adding Wilson would be a big help as well.
Minnesota Vikings
It seems unsure if the Vikings and Kirk Cousins will be reuniting this season, as the veteran quarterback is wanting a deal that may not be suiting to Minnesota. Again, Wilson will likely take a much cheaper deal than any other free-agent quarterback on the market because of what the Broncos will owe him. That’s something that will be very enticing to the Vikings for sure. The Vikings are also still the type of team that can win in the immediate future.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Should Baker Mayfield decide to seek a better deal than what Tampa Bay is willing to offer, then Wilson could find himself as the Buccaneers’ next signal-caller. Like with Atlanta, Wilson would be in an easily winnable division in the NFC South, a division that the Buccaneers have won the last three years. Wilson definitely would be a much better option than the unproven Kyle Trask at quarterback. Could Tampa Bay be where he seeks to win his next Super Bowl?
