Is Sean Payton backtracking on the Russell Wilson situation?

This is going to be wild offseason for the Denver Broncos, and that could be the understatement of the year thus far.

Just a couple of weeks ago, multiple reports stated that Denver was ready to part ways with quarterback Russell Wilson after the team asked him to remove the injury guarantee from his contract. It seemed as though Wilson's time with the Broncos was, indeed, done.

In the latest on Wilson's future with the team, head coach Sean Payton had this to say on Tuesday:

“It’s too early. I spent half an hour with Russ yesterday and I told him ‘Look, I don’t think it’s going to be a long, drawn out process but it hasn’t been decided relative to what our plans are,'" Payton told Troy Renc of Denver 7.

"It's too early."

Those are some pretty strange words coming from the head coach, especially after the report that came out last month stating the team was prepared to move on. It wasn't just one or two reports, either. We saw multiple outlets like The Athletic, Sports Illustrated and ESPN, among others, jump on that report.

Now begs the question, why would Payton be backtracking, if he is at all?

Maybe, it's because of the fact that the Broncos are not likely to be in position to draft one of the top three quarterbacks in this year's draft. Sitting at no. 12 overall, Denver will miss out on Caleb Williams, Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels, in all likelihood.

In Wilson's defense, he played pretty well this year. He certainly wasn't the reason why this team failed to meet expectations.

As for Payton's comments, though, this could all be simple coach speak. I would bet the team still moves on, but Payton wants to let the end of the season breathe just a bit before making any notable headlines.