4 landing spots for Russell Wilson if he leaves Denver Broncos

Highlights

• Wilson’s time in Denver is over due to his massive contract and late-season struggles.
• Potential landing spots include the Steelers, Falcons, Commanders, and Raiders.
• At least a few teams see Wilson as a full-time starter despite Denver’s decision to move on from him.

The Denver Broncos are set to release quarterback Russell Wilson after the new league year begins on March 13, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The 12-year veteran will be a hot commodity on the open market as several teams are desperate for reliable play under center.

While Wilson certainly didn’t play his best football during his time as a Bronco, analysts such as ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler believe he won’t have to look far for his next job:

[Several teams] still believe that he’s a full-time starter. There’s a job for him somewhere.

Wilson greatly improved under Sean Payton in 2023 following the team’s year from hell under first-time head coach Nathaniel Hackett in 2022. Nevertheless, the front office has made the decision to move on, and the Broncos begin to look toward life post-Wilson while the veteran QB looks for a new home.

Here is everything you need to know about Wilson’s departure from Denver and his next potential landing spot.

Get out of dodge

Wilson’s days in Denver are over

Under Hackett, Wilson suffered through the worst season in his nine-time Pro Bowl career. He managed just 16 touchdown passes to 11 interceptions on a career-worst 60.5 completion percentage. In an attempt to salvage the situation, the Broncos traded 2023 first- and second-round picks and a 2024 third rounder to the New Orleans Saints for Payton.

The coach turned Wilson into a game manager, relying on the running game and play-action to revive the former Seattle Seahawks star’s career. For a while, it looked like it would work out. Wilson improved to 26 touchdowns and 11 picks while completing 66.4 percent of his passes. He also added 341 yards and three touchdowns rushing.

However, a late rash of turnovers and the fact that Wilson is owed the GDP of a small country compelled the Broncos to bench him for the final two games of the season to avoid triggering injury guarantees. Payton’s in for the long haul, so it has now been determined that the organization will cut their losses and look for their QB of the future elsewhere.

Where could Wilson land next?

Super Bowl champion QB will have no shortage of suitors

Wilson’s tenure came to an end in Denver thanks to his massive contract. When you look around the QB-starved NFL, which saw 66 different quarterbacks start a game in 2023, Wilson is clearly superior to guys like Desmond Ridder, Sam Howell, Zach Wilson, as well as a few other starters, such as Kenny Pickett.

He’s just obviously not worth the $17 million in base salary and $22 million in roster bonuses that the Broncos owe him for 2024 alone. Denver decided to eat the $85 million dead cap hit (the biggest ever) spread out over two years rather than pay the remainder of his ludicrous contract.

Here are a few teams that would be happy to have Wilson taking snaps for them at a more reasonable price point:

Pittsburgh Steelers -200

The favorite to land Wilson

The Pittsburgh Steelers make sense for Wilson, considering Mike Tomlin has suffered through a broken-down Ben Roethlisberger, Devlin “Duck” Hodges, Mitchell Trubisky, Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph, and Landry Jones in recent years.

The Steelers are currently rolling with Pickett and Rudolph, also known as a ticket to mediocrity. Tomlin has infamously never had a losing record despite that laundry list of subpar quarterbacks. You’d imagine the master chef of making Michelin-star fare out of day-old ingredients could make a better meal with Wilson than their incumbent options.

New offensive coordinator Arthur Smith made some magic as Tennesse Titans OC in 2019 and 2020 by using heavy doses of Derrick Henry combined with the copious employment of play-action.

That sounds like a formula that could work with Wilson (who was seventh in the NFL in 2023 with a 118.1 passer rating on play-action passes) next to Pittsburgh’s suddenly dynamic rushing attack: Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren both topped 1,100 scrimmage yards in 2023, one of just two backfield duos to do so (Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery).

Wilson could also toss an endless number of his beautiful 50-50 deep shots to contested catch extraordinaire George Pickens. As a rookie, Pickens pulled in the most contested catches for a first-year player since 2016, and his 19 such grabs were the third-most overall in 2022. Pickens could easily create an improved version of the relationship Wilson developed with Courtland Sutton over the back half of the 2023 campaign.

Las Vegas Raiders +275

The division rival

The Las Vegas Raiders hold the next best odds thanks to their depressing QB situation. Jimmy Garoppolo just got suspended for two games and is likely to be cut by the team. Meanwhile, Aidan O’Connell didn’t exactly light the world on fire in Garoppolo’s absence.

Luke Getsy will serve as the team’s OC in 2024 with much of his professional experience coming with the Green Bay Packers as well as a recent two-year stint as the Chicago Bears’ OC.

It’s clear that head coach and former Pro Bowl linebacker Antonio Pierce would prefer to play great defense, run the ball, and win ugly. That’s not unlike the formula his New York Giants used in 2007 to dethrone the perfect Patriots with Eli Manning at QB.

Getsy also spoke to the importance of a QB’s maneuverability:

I think in this game it’s really important that you have some type of escapability. It doesn’t mean you have to be as dynamic as Justin was, but I think you have to have escapability. You’ve got to be able to have the second chance and create the extended play, whether it’s just sliding in the pocket or whether it’s extending it with your feet outside of the pocket.

Wilson’s definitely lost a step, but he’s still capable of making defenders miss, and escapability has always been one of his strongest traits as a player. At 35, he was able to put up 341 yards rushing along with three touchdowns this past season, showing that he can still do the deed on the ground.

The veteran’s escapability paired with the fact that he would excel in a game-manager role with a strong team surrounding him would seem to paint a picture of Wilson as Las Vegas’ ideal QB candidate. You know Pierce would like to bring on a veteran who can guide the ship as he establishes himself as head coach.

Atlanta Falcons +400

Could Wilson land in the Big A?

After firing Arthur Smith for failing to find a better QB plan than Desmond Ridder and Tyler Heinicke, you’d think the Atlanta Falcons would want a more well-known quantity at QB. Falcons new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson has previously worked with Jared Goff and Matthew Stafford in Los Angeles.

The Rams’ offense with Goff featured plenty of play-action and motion to give the QB the easiest reads possible. Unfortunately, that offense also featured a decent number of RPOs and quick passes, which are not exactly Wilson’s strengths.

However, the Falcons do boast a great roster of skill players to help Wilson do his best Brock Purdy impression. With their strong set of running backs, including Bijan Robinson, there’s a world where Wilson plays game manager en route to a division title in the atrocious NFC South.

Washington Commanders +2000

The unlikely longshot

If the Washington Commanders want to get an air of professionalism in the building following years of Daniel Synder’s dysfunction, Wilson fits the bill.

However, new owner Josh Harris has shown an inclination to rebuild from the ground up with his NBA team, the Philadelphia 76ers. The trades of their two best defensive players this past season most likely signal a full rebuild is on the way in the nation’s capital.

Head coach Dan Quinn obviously knows Wilson well from their years together in Seattle. If Quinn wants to acquire a dependable veteran to play a ball control style with a heavy reliance on the run game and play action, Wilson could be a good option.

However, that doesn’t really fit with offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury’s air-raid background. Wilson loves to fling it deep, but consistently throwing the ball 35+ times a game has never really led to success for the QB.

All odds courtesy of DraftKings.com.

All statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference and all contract information courtesy of Spotrac unless stated otherwise.