The Denver Broncos have reached an impasse when it comes to Russell Wilson.

Just two seasons after the franchise paid the former Seattle Seahawks QB an unprecedented 5-year, $246.2 million contract with $39 million guaranteed in 2024, Wilson could be playing for another team next season.

Ahead of the 2022 season, it would be almost unfathomable to consider this a real possibility. How could a team invest so much money into a franchise QB — and have a significant amount of his salary take away from the ability to sign new talent — and part ways with him after just two seasons?

NFL talking heads chalked his horrendous performance during his first season with the Denver Broncos up to a disconnect between Russell Wilson and former head coach Nathaniel Hackett.

So they went and hired Sean Payton, one of the most brilliant offensive minds available who had a ton of success in New Orleans with Drew Brees, and undersized QB with dual-threat ability that had a cannon for an arm and was accurate with his throws. That sounds a lot like WIlson in his prime — and for a variety of reasons — many simply assumed Payton and Wilson would mesh perfectly like the first-year Broncos head coach did with Brees.

Denver Broncos, Russell Wilson

But that wasn’t the case at all. Although Wilson didn’t light the stat sheet up, he played like the middle of the-pack-game manager in the middle of the season who showed flashes of brilliance of his old self.

In his first game in Payton’s new system in Week 1, Wilson threw for a modest 177 yards and two touchdowns completing 27-of-34 passes through the air with no touchdowns and a QB Rating of 108.0. He led the Denver Broncos offense to put up 17 points which isn’t great, but their defense couldn’t hold a Raiders offense that was far from dynamic and Denver lost by a single point, 17-16.

The very next week WIlson threw for 308 yards, three touchdowns and one interception in a shootout vs. the Washington Commanders. He helped the Broncos put up 33 points which should be plenty to win a game against a Washington offense that finished near the bottom of the league, but they lost 35-333. On Oct. 1 Russell Wilson was phenomenal against the Chicago Bears, completing 21-of-28 for 223 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, leading the Denver Broncos to their fist win of the year.

But the (1-5) start made Wilson the scapegoat, when in reality he was playing decent football within the system and had no help from his defense. And then Wilson led Denver to a remarkable turnaround, winning 5-straight games over teams that eventually made the playoffs including the Super Bowl Champs(Chiefs, Browns, Bills, Packers).

But after a tough outing where he didn’t play great and the Broncos fell to the Houston Texans, Wilson was shockingly benched.

Wilson revealed that the initial conversations regarding a possible benching came back during the team’s Week 9 bye week and stemmed from his contract. Specifically, he was approached “the Monday or Tuesday” after he and the Broncos defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 8 and was told that if he did not adjust his $37 million guarantee, he would be benched.

“They definitely told me I was going to be benched and all that,” Wilson said, via ESPN.

As for Denver’s point of view, head coach Sean Payton said the decision was based “on winning” and “to get a spark offensively.”

This led to the situation the team now finds itself in. What will the Broncos do with WIlson in 2024?

Denver Broncos HC Sean Payton Reveals Plan For Russell Wilson With Shocking Statement About Future QB

Denver Broncos, Russell Wilson, Tim Hasselbeck

While many assumed Wilson would be parting ways with Payton and the Broncos after last year’s stunning move, there’s been a recent sentiment the QB may actually stick around and play for the Broncos in 2024.

Russell Wilson made it clear on a recent podcast with Brandon Marshall he wants to remain in Denver, which led many to believe he may know something others don’t.

“I got more fire than ever, honestly,” Wilson said. “Especially over the past two years of what I’ve gone through. Whether it’s in Denver or somewhere else. I hope it’s in Denver. You know, I hope I get to finish there. I committed there. I wanted to be there. I want to be there.”

Marshall went over the betting odds with Wilson regarding his next team, and Marshall then began to ask Wilson about some of them. Wilson short-circuited that discussion.

“I would put Denver one because I’m there right now,” Wilson said,

Denver Broncos, Russell Wilson, Sean Payton

But it appears the Denver Broncos have already made their decision to move on from Russell Wilson.

Sean Payton met with the media on Tuesday and a single quote, while playful and humorous in nature, revealed the team’s plans according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

“ I saw this humorous meme the other day where there’s a Broncos fan with a shirt on with like eight quarterback’s names crossed through them and he’s drinking the quarterback Kool-Aid,” Payton said. “Our job is to make sure this next one doesn’t have a line through it.”

“The next one,” Florio emphasized.

The Denver Broncos already owe Russell Wilson $39 million in 2024. According to Florio, they will cut him after the league year begins, designate the move as a post-June 1 transaction, take the cap hit over 2024 and 2025, avoid the 2025 salary, and move on.

And Wilson will be free to sign with any team, and Florio believes it will be for the league minimum at best.