Russell Wilson was acquired by the Denver Bronos in a blockbuster trade ahead of the 2022 NFL season. The franchise believed that the move would elevate them to become Super Bowl contenders. In 2023, they doubled down on their investment by pulling off another massive trade to bring in Sean Payton to be their head coach.

Let alone competing for a championship, the Broncos haven’t even made an appearance in the NFL Playoffs in either of Wilson’s two seasons in Denver so far. Former quarterback and current analyst for CBS Boomer Esiason apparently wants to see the franchise pivot to a different quarterback to pair with their head coach.

Here’s what Esiason suggested they do, via Andrew Mason of Denver Sports:

“Baker proved that he could do it. You know, Baker’s going to be a free agent. Oh, I’d love to see him with Sean Payton. That would be unbelievable, they’d be screaming back and forth at each other. Come on, the NFL needs Baker and Sean Payton together, right?”
Boomer Esiason suggested that the Denver Broncos should target Baker Mayfield this year during the 2024 NFL free agency period to replace Russell Wilson as their starting quarterback. Unlike Wilson, Mayfield made it to the NFL Playoffs in his first year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by winning the NFC South division title.

Mayfield was on a speculative one-year contract wih the Buccaneers, forcing him to prove his worth after struggling for several years. He did exactly that, posting one of his best statistical seasons of his career and reaching the playoffs. While the Buccaneers will likely try to keep him, he may also be interested in testing free agency.

If the Broncos do in fact consider pivoting to Baker Mayfield, it leaves them in a dilemma with Russell Wilson. He signed a massive five-year, $242.6 million contract with the franchise shortly after the trade became official, potentially complicating its ability to get Sean Payton a new quarterback.

Russell Wilson’s contract could complicate his situation in Denver

Sean Payton made the bold decision late in the 2023 NFL season to bench Russell Wilson and start Jarrett Stidham instead. This immediately intensified rumors that the franchise could be loooking to move on from their quarterback. While it’s certainly possible, the massive contract that they gave him in 2022 complicate things a bit.

Wilson has a full no-trade clause in his contract, so even if they try to deal him somewhere else, he has the power to veto any potential move. Their other option would be to release him, but it will be expensive if they choose to do so. While cutting him this offseason saves them $37 million in total, it also comes with a huge penalty in the form of dead cap money.

Releasing Russell Wilson this year would result in the Broncos being on the hook for $85 million in dead cap money, the most for any single player in NFL history. The timing of his potential release will allow them to spread it out over two seasons if they choose to do so, but either way, it creates a challenge with their salary cap.