7 potential replacements for Russell Wilson in 2024

2. Jimmy Garoppolo, Cut Candidate

This would not likely be the first choice of everyone in Broncos Country, but neither was Joe Flacco back in the 2019 offseason when the Denver Broncos acquired him in an offseason trade with the Baltimore Ravens.

Nobody wanted that deal to happen, yet for some reason, no one was surprised by it, either.

Teams often don't make the decisions the fans want to make, as crazy as that may be to hear. Sometimes the fans and team are in harmony, and other times, the team zigs while the fan base zags. That's just the nature of the beast.

And Jimmy Garoppolo has long been a polarizing player. He has had a lot of success through the years in the NFL, and personally, I think you could do a lot worse than this. The circumstances weren't ideal in Las Vegas this past year, to say the least, but Jimmy played worse than expected, and he'll likely find himself as a salary cap casualty this offseason.

As much as the fan base might hate it, I could see Sean Payton making this move in 2024. Payton and Garoppolo are two of the most notable alumni of Eastern Illinois University, the same college that produced legendary Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan and former Cowboys QB Tony Romo.

Romo, by the way, was discovered coming out of Eastern Illinois by Payton himself.

Could that Eastern Illinois connection come into play? Although he's imperfect, Garoppolo is the type of accurate "point guard" at the QB position that could help this Sean Payton offense flow into the playoffs, even if it's a short-term investment.