George Paton, Sean Payton and Greg Penner explain why Russell Wilson could return to the Denver Broncos

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Broncos aren’t yet closing the door on the Russell Wilson Era.

“The door remains open with ‘Russ,’” Broncos general manager George Paton said during his end-of-season press conference on Tuesday. “I’ve had good conversations with Russ, and [head coach] Sean [Payton] has had good conversations. The door is open.”

Payton sat down with Wilson for 30 minutes on Monday, the day after the Broncos closed their season with a 27-14 loss to their rival Las Vegas Raiders. Wilson didn’t play in the game. For the second time in two weeks—and the second time in his career—Wilson served as the backup quarterback after being benched in December.

“I told him, ‘I don’t think it will be a long, drawn-out process,’ but it hasn’t been decided relative to what our plans are,” Payton said on Tuesday. “As soon as we know something, he would be the first to know.”

Wilson’s benching has been the subject of controversy. Three weeks ago, shortly after news of Denver’s quarterback change broke, Bleacher Report stated that the Broncos threatened to bench Wilson if he didn’t adjust his contract.

Wilson signed a five-year, $242 million extension with Denver before the 2022 season. His 2024 salary is already guaranteed. His 2025 salary will become guaranteed if he’s still on the Broncos’ roster on March 17. That means the Broncos will likely decide Wilson’s future before that date.

But there’s a catch: if the Broncos release Wilson while he’s injured, that 2025 salary will also become guaranteed. The Broncos were incentivized to keep Wilson out of harm’s way to avoid the injury guarantee.

The Broncos wanted to push back the March 17 deadline. This would prevent an injury from forcing their hand. It would also allow Wilson to compete for a job in training camp rather than having his fate decided months before the season.

Wilson declined.

“During the bye week, I did reach out to Russ’ agent in good faith and in a creative attempt to adjust his contract,” Paton said. “We couldn’t get a deal done, and we moved on with our season. It didn’t come up again.”

The Broncos’ bye week, when Paton reached out, was at the end of October. Denver was coming off wins over the Packers and the Chiefs, which was the start of a five-game winning streak.

Wilson says the Broncos threatened to bench him if he didn’t comply, likely to avoid the risk of injury. The Broncos decided not to bench him; instead, they kept him as the starter for the next seven games.

Paton refused to say whether the team threatened to bench Wilson. He said he didn’t want to divulge the details of the discussions “out of respect for everyone involved.”

“Negotiations are hard,” Paton said. “You have difficult conversations and tough conversations. You can characterize a negotiation in any way you want. We always try to handle ourselves professionally and in the best interest of the Broncos. This was no different.”

Paton, Payton and owner Greg Penner said Paton handled the negotiations. The others didn’t take part.

When Paton was asked if Payton knew about the discussions, he deflected.

“I handle the negotiations,” he said.

All three Broncos representatives also stated that when the Broncos finally benched Wilson in December, the decision was made for on-the-field reasons, not because of Wilson’s contract.

“This was a football decision made by Sean in what he thought was in the best interest of the team,” Paton said. “This was completely independent of any conversations I had with the agent. Again, it was a football decision made by Sean.”

Regardless, finances will play a role in the Broncos’ decision about Wilson’s future.

The Broncos will take on $85 million in salary cap hits over the next two years if they decide to move on from Wilson. If they keep him in Denver for one or two more seasons and then move on, they’ll add another $37 million to the tab.

The question boils down to whether the Broncos are willing to spend $37 million in cap space for two years of Wilson’s services or if they think they’d be better off spending that money elsewhere.

“We’ve prepared for any scenario with [Vice President of Football Administration] Rich Hurtado, who runs our [salary] cap,” Paton said. “We’ll have flexibility either way to do what we need to do. We won’t be in on the first wave of free agency like we were last year. You can’t do that every year. We’ll be very strategic and very specific on what positions and what players we try to sign.”

The salary cap questions are essential, but cash doesn’t seem to factor into the decision.

“The financial part of it is a significant component in terms of how this works out in the future, but that’s not what will drive the decision,” Penner said. “The decision will be driven by what’s in the best interest of this football team winning games.”

The Broncos don’t have a firm timeline for their decision.

Denver’s coaching staff takes a break after the season. Payton believes time away allows for clearer evaluations. The break will end next week, and then the staff will grade their players’ performances. They’ll decide what positions need to be addressed. The front office will evaluate whether coaching changes need to be made.

“When we get back and we begin this process of looking at our roster and where we select—there are so many things that go into a decision specific to the quarterback, which is significant, obviously,” Payton said. “It’s too early.”

As with all football decisions, Penner will entrust the decision to Payton and Paton. The coach and GM will work together to determine the best path forward.

“As CEO, I want to be briefed and know what’s going on,” Penner said. “That being said, I entrust people to do their jobs, and I don’t coach the football team. I don’t call the agents or have negotiations on player contracts.”

Payton says his 30-minute meeting with Wilson is proof that the Broncos truly don’t know which direction they’ll go. 

“Otherwise, it would have been like, ‘Hey, goodbye,’” Payton said. “We’ll look at all the scenarios and try to do what is best for the Broncos. Communication will be important. That final decision hasn’t been made.”

(For more from Sean Payton during his end-of-the-year press conference, CLICK HERE.)

(For more from George Paton during his end-of-the-year press conference, CLICK HERE.)

(For more from Greg Penner during his end-of-the-year press conference, CLICK HERE.)