During a media interview, Sean Payton was asked about Russell Wilson, and seems to leave the door open for his return to the Denver Broncos in 2024. Payton said the decision about Wilson will be "sooner than later" and that Wilson himself will know "sooner than later." Here os the full clip, where Payton says quite a bit while not saying a whole lot at all:
"It is what it is."@SeanPayton talks to @AdamSchein about whether he took too much heat for the #Broncos QB situation with Russell Wilson & whether Wilson will be back next year.
— Mad Dog Sports Radio (@MadDogRadio) February 9, 2024
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Another tidbit in this clip worth noting is that the Broncos apparently start their "front board meetings" on Monday, which Payton says are the draft meetings. He also notes that the free agency meetings are ongoing and that what they do with Russell Wilson connects with all of that. Furthermore, Payton said "We have a great relationship" when talking about him and Wilson.
It's worth mentioning that Wilson had previously expressed interest in playing for Sean Payton years ago when he was still with the Seattle Seahawks. And as NFL Insider Tom Pelissero recently said, Wilson could survey the rest of the NFL and realize that the Broncos are still the best possible situation for himself:
.@TomPelissero gives his take on the Broncos QB plans and Russell Wilson #FactorPartner pic.twitter.com/gu0OhG4rmr
— DNVR Broncos (@DNVR_Broncos) February 7, 2024
So, based on everything we seem to know thus far, there is a shot that Russell Wilson is back with the team, and I do not think at this moment, the team has finalized a decision with him. An above-average statistical season from Russell Wilson in 2023 was a bit misleading, as the Denver Broncos passing offense was largely inefficient and lacked a consistent intermediate threat.
Wilson was responsible for 29 total touchdowns and just eight interceptions. However, the passing offense was among the worst in the NFL and eventually led to him being benched late in the 2023 NFL Season. Nothing seemed to be too different with Jarrett Stidham in the lineup, and that is kind of the point here.
Maybe the solution here is somewhere in the middle; Russell Wilson returns to the Denver Broncos in 2024 on a revised deal that allows the team to move on after that season and Sean Payton also targets and drafts a QB in the NFL Draft. This could end up being the best of both worlds.