The Denver Broncos are going to be a team to keep an eye on this offseason. From the sounds of many recent reports, they are not going to wait around for winning.
Head coach Sean Payton is probably going to do everything in his power to turn this thing into a contender as quickly as possible, but he and the front office face some difficult decisions going forward.
There are some aging guys on the roster who also mean a great deal to the team. But, Denver is also in a tough spot financially. So, what do they do? Let's analyze a few key decisions needing to be made in the coming weeks.
1. What to do with Russell Wilson?
There really only seems to be one logical ending to this dramatic novel that's unfolding, and that is for the Broncos to simply cut ties altogether. If Denver thinks they can find a taker in a trade, for that contract, they are kidding themselves. No team in their right mind would give up any kind of draft capital along with taking on the hefty contract.
In the end, Denver will have to eat the dead money this year and next year and deal with the ramifications by making other moves to assist in their financial pickle. Releasing him this offseason will result in a total of $85 million in dead cap. If, for some unforeseen reason, the Broncos held onto him and waited until next year to cut him, they'd actually see a savings of roughly $6 million.
But, we know that isn't going to happen. Wilson is going to be released, as excruciating as it will be for the team to take on the financial implications.