The Broncos hope a change of scenery will help get quarterback Zach Wilson’s NFL career back on track.
Denver acquired Wilson and a seventh-round draft pick from the New York Jets in exchange for a sixth-round pick. The Jets will also pay part of Wilson’s $5.5 million salary next season.
The Jets were confident that Wilson would be their franchise quarterback for years when they selected him with the second overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Instead, Wilson never found his footing as a starting quarterback and was benched several times in his short time in New York. Over two seasons, Wilson completed 57 percent of his passes for 6,293 yards with 23 touchdowns and 25 interceptions for a pedestrian 73.2 quarterback rating.
The Jets had lost confidence in Wilson before last season when they acquired four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers in exchange for their first, second, and sixth-round selections in the 2023 draft. However, Rodgers suffered a torn Achilles against the Bills in the regular season opener, which forced Wilson back into action.
Wilson had an uneven season, throwing for 2,271 yards with 8 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. He was benched for Tim Boyle in Week 11 but regained his starting job before suffering a season-ending concussion in Week 14. Trevor Siemian started the final three games for the Jets.
With Rodgers fully healthy, Wilson became expendable and now the Broncos will try to get him back on track and solve their quarterback issues.
Denver had to reset this offseason after parting ways with nine-time Pro Bowler quarterback Russell Wilson, who will cost them $85 million in dead salary cap space over the next two seasons. Wilson went 11–19 as a starter and didn’t lead the Broncos to the playoffs. He was benched with two games remaining last season and he eventually signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers in March.
“As we move forward, we are focused on building the strongest team possible for the 2024 season and beyond,” Broncos coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton said in a joint statement. “We are excited to improve this offseason and will have the flexibility to get better through the draft and free agency.”
Now, Denver will proceed with Wilson and Jarrett Stidham competing for the starting job.
Stidham started the Broncos’ last two games of the season in place of Wilson. Stidham, who the New England Patriots originally selected in the fourth round of the 2019 draft from Auburn, completed 40 of 66 pass attempts for 496 yards with two touchdowns and one interception for an 87.7 rating over three games.
The battle between Wilson and Stidham will be one of the most intriguing storylines heading into this summer’s NFL training camps. Stidham is confident he knows the Broncos’ offense and can lead the team as the starter.
In addition, the pressure is off Wilson, who had to deal with the lofty expectations that came with being the second overall draft pick for New York. Wilson has shown flashes that he can be an effective starting quarterback in the NFL, but he needs to show more consistency and maturity because he tends to pout when he struggles.
Ben DiNucci was on the Broncos’ practice squad last season and will also compete for a job.
The Broncos are looking for a new era at their quarterback. Denver has the 12th overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, and they could also select a quarterback in the first round.
However, a player with the potential to start as a rookie might not be available because there are several teams in front of the Broncos, mainly the Bears, Commanders, and Patriots, that will also be looking to add a quarterback.
In addition, The Broncos have only six total picks, and that hinders their ability to make a trade to move up in the draft.
As a result, the Broncos could be prepared to move forward with Wilson and Stidham and let them battle for the starting job.
