Broncos Country, the ride is apparently over. Or at least it will be soon, as quarterback Russell Wilson has been benched and will likely be cut at the end of the season.
For a quarterback that seemed to defy all the odds, whether that was the stigma of being a quarterback drafted in the third round—which Wilson was coming out of Wisconsin—or for his height at the position—5ft 11in—Wilson at one point was considered one of the best in the league.
He helped bring the Seattle Seahawks their first Super Bowl back in 2014 and gave them another NFC Championship in 2015, coming close to repeating as champions. He holds the most touchdown passes by a rookie with 26, is a nine-time Pro-Bowler, and was the first quarterback in NFL history to start a career with nine winning seasons. He's the owner of 31 comeback wins and 39 game-winning drives. Wilson is also ranked 4th all-time in quarterback passer rating (100.0), according to NFL.com.
But now, in not even the finale of his 12th season, he's been benched and will be looking to find his next kitchen to cook in. That means that Denver Broncos first-year head coach Sean Payton and team management are willing to possibly eat $85 million spread over the next two years if they were to cut him. That would then leave Payton and the Broncos left to bargain shop over that time, being financially handicapped. That's not something that Wilson will have to worry about, though. There are plenty of teams desperate enough for his services, especially considering they'll most likely get him at a cheap cost.
Who could those teams be? Let's take a look.
Atlanta Falcons
One of the more obvious teams in the league has to be the Falcons, who could be a really special team with a reliable quarterback. That's certainly not something they had this season, currently at 7-8 in a pivotal Year 3 under head coach Arthur Smith.
The Falcons and Smith chose to ride with Desmond Ridder, who was also a third-round draft choice two seasons ago, yet has had nothing close to the success of that of Wilson. He's been a turnover machine, accounting for 16, with most coming at crucial moments in games. Even though Wilson has not been the same since he came to the Broncos, Wilson would be plenty good enough in Atlanta with some major offensive weapons around him.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers could be in line for a top seed in the AFC playoff picture right now, possibly winning their division, if only they had stability at quarterback. The rest of their team is talented throughout to make a strong playoff run.
It's clear that Kenny Pickett isn't the answer behind center, nor is Mitch Trubisky or Mason Rudolph. Similar to Atlanta, Pittsburgh has enough weapons on offense, but they also have a strong defense that could help the veteran quarterback get out of jams. Wilson is better than any quarterback on the Steelers' roster right now… it's not even close.
New York Giants
If the Broncos made the worst deal in trading for Wilson, then the Giants may have made the worst deal in re-signing one of their own in Daniel Jones over the offseason. It didn't really make a ton of sense to sign Jones to his deal besides the fact they were simply without a franchise quarterback. But a year plagued with inefficiency and injuries derailed Jones' season early on.
This would be a less than ideal situation for the Giants with the money they would owe Jones, so getting Wilson on the cheap would be paramount.
Minnesota Vikings
With Kirk Cousins and the Vikings not coming to an agreement on a new deal for next season, Minnesota is looking for its new signal-caller. Although that could always change, the fact that Wilson could be hitting the market soon has to sound intriguing to head coach Kevin O'Connell, who, like most of the coaches on this list, is in desperate need of a quarterback to save their job.
O'Connell has essentially been patchworking the Vikings since Cousins went down this season, with the quarterback play looking like a revolving door. Yet, the Vikings are still with the 8th seed in the NFC playoff picture, just on the outside looking in with still a chance at a Wild Card.
Currently, the Vikings are the favorite as a landing spot, according to BetOnline.
New England Patriots
As much as Bailey Zappe has been a minor spark for the Patriots—even leading a comeback against Wilson and the Broncos last week—it's clear neither he nor Mac Jones are the answer at quarterback in New England. The real question is what will the Patriots look like next season? Will Bill Belichick return, or will there be a new head coach in New England for the first time since 2000?
No matter who is roaming the sideline, that still doesn't change the fact that there is a massive need at quarterback that will need to be addressed. That could happen in the draft, but even if so, Wilson could be a stop-gap/mentor in the meantime.
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