Broncos Country is putting a lot of faith right now in Sean Payton to find the next franchise quarterback for the organization, but mostly because they have no other choice. Sean Payton has called his own number and is putting the future of the Denver Broncos organization in his own hands, making an unprecedented move to release quarterback Russell Wilson before his team-record five-year, $243 million contract even kicks in.
Needless to say, the pressure is on, and whatever move(s) Payton decides to make will be heavily scrutinized no matter what. But given the fact that the Broncos are moving on from the veteran Wilson, there might be some names available this offseason that we can safely say Denver needs to stay away from.
Which quarterbacks should the Broncos avoid after the Russell Wilson release?
1. Ryan Tannehill (free agent)
Ryan Tannehill's 2023 season with the Tennessee Titans was reminiscent of Joe Flacco's 2019 season with the Denver Broncos. Needless to say, it was horrendous, and it was shortened by injury. Tannehill had four touchdown passes and seven interceptions in 10 games played last year for the Titans.
Let's get real here.
If Tannehill is brought to Denver as anything but a backup quarterback, it would be a huge mistake. Sean Payton just got done doing a media circuit at the Super Bowl and Scouting Combine in which he said that the next QB name on the list post-Peyton Manning can't get crossed off. Tannehill is a name that would be almost immediately crossed off. If you can learn from past mistakes, the Broncos should learn from the 2019 Joe Flacco error and stay away from Ryan Tannehill in 2024.
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2. Mason Rudolph (free agent)
The Denver Broncos already went after someone else's intriguing backup quarterback. He's already on the roster.
His name is Jarrett Stidham.
Imagine moving on from Russell Wilson, taking the biggest dead cap hit in NFL history, and moving on to a competition between Jarrett Stidham and Mason Rudolph. It just wouldn't sell. As if Broncos fans aren't miserable enough.
With all due respect to Mason Rudolph, this is simply not the situation for him. The Denver Broncos are not the right fit. Rudolph has been the 2nd or 3rd quarterback on the Steelers' depth chart basically since he's been in the NFL. He was a star at Oklahoma State once upon a time, and while he played pretty well late last season for Pittsburgh, the Broncos already took a shot on a guy like this.
I think Rudolph presents almost the exact same upside as someone like Stidham. he's been in the league for four years. He's had some opportunities that he's done well with, but not many, and certainly not enough of a sample to bank the future of the franchise on him.
There's just no way the Broncos could justify this.
3. Jameis Winston (free agent)
It feels like the window for Jameis Winston to be an intriguing reclamation project at the quarterback position has passed.
Although there are connections galore in Denver for Winston, and although those connections could make some sense, there's absolutely no way the Broncos could justify pivoting to Jameis in 2024.
Winston was on pace for almost 50 touchdown passes when Sean Payton made him the starter of the New Orleans Saints back in 2021. Winston spent a year learning Payton's offense, learning from Drew Brees, and getting to know his new Saints teammates after a 30-touchdown/30-interception season in his final year with the Buccaneers.
Yes, he's a former #1 overall pick. Yes, he's a former Heisman winner. But the reality now is that Winston has started just 10 games since the 2019 season. He hasn't been a full-time starter. Is he capable of starting? Maybe.
Is he likely to be the next name crossed off the post-Manning QB list? If the Broncos go this direction, that would almost undoubtedly be the case. Winston is going to be 30 this coming season. That's not too old by any means, but it's too old for the Broncos' situation and context right now.
4. Jacoby Brissett (free agent)
Jacoby Brissett is a quality, "hold down the fort" type of quarterback. He's a high-end QB2 who could absolutely start for you in a pinch, and even for a stretch of games.
Is he your potential franchise quarterback?
No.
As previously stated, there's simply no way the Denver Broncos could justify moving on from Russell Wilson, taking the massive $85 million dead cap hit, and moving forward with someone like Jacoby Brissett, who has been mostly a career backup and emergency starting quarterback.
Brissett will have other opportunities around the league that would come with a lot less pressure than this, and in situations where he's more familiar with the coaching around him as well. I just don't think the Broncos could go this route, having Brissett and Stidham compete in a battle of former Patriots backups to start for Sean Payton.
Brissett was the guy holding down the fort for the Cleveland Browns while Deshaun Watson served his suspension in 2022, but he was the backup to Sam Darnold in Washington this past season.
5. Gardner Minshew (free agent)
Gardner Minshew is a fun guy. He's got a great personality. He did a great job with Shane Steichen and the Indianapolis Colts this past year in place of Anthony Richardson.
But for the Denver Broncos, Gardner Minshew would be a "Case Keenum 2.0" kind of free agent signing.
The Denver Broncos were staring a really intriguing QB class directly in the face back in 2018. Although hindsight is 20/20, the decision to pass on all of Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, Josh Allen, and Lamar Jackson in favor of Case Keenum was nothing short of ridiculous and embarrassing. Nobody knows what John Elway and the Denver front office were thinking back in that time, but the decision to go with Case Keenum should have absolutely been paired with a draft pick.
Signing Gardner Minshew as "the guy" in 2024 would be almost an identical situation. There are plenty of intriguing young QBs in the 2024 NFL Draft. Things may not work out for any/all of them, but taking a shot on Minshew, who threw 15 touchdowns compared to nine interceptions last season.
Minshew is a high-end QB2 and maybe even a low-end QB1, but for how long? I don't think you're building a franchise around this guy, and I don't think you're moving on from Russell Wilson to move on to Gardner Minshew.