Who should be the Broncos starting quarterback in 2024?
Jan 20, 2024, 11:30 AM
The Denver Broncos have a big decision to make heading into the 2024 season. Once again. For the eighth time since winning Super Bowl 50, the Broncos are going into the offseason without a starting quarterback; this time around, they need to find a replacement for Russell Wilson.
Sean Payton decided to bench Wilson for the last two games of the 2023 campaign after losing to the Patriots on Christmas Eve. That defeat eliminated the Broncos from playoff contentions.
Wilson later reported that the Broncos had threatened to bench him earlier in the season if he did not adjust the injury clause in his contract. A line in the sand appeared drawn between the two sides.
In a recent press conference, George Paton was asked about Wilson’s future in Denver and stated that the “door is open.” There is still a chance that he could remain in Denver in 2024. While his chances of staying seem low, Wilson is also open to staying in Denver.
With the Broncos organization seemingly ready to move on from Wilson, the question is simple: Who will be the starting quarterback in 2024?
While it may be an unpopular opinion, Wilson should remain the starting quarterback heading into the 2024 season.
The Broncos made significant progress this year with Payton and Wilson. They were two games away from making the playoffs, beat the Chiefs for the first time since 2015, beat a divisional rival on the road for the first time since 2019, and went on a five-game winning streak against some of the toughest teams in the league.
That is impressive, considering it was Wilson’s first year playing Payton’s system.
It was expected that it would take some time for Wilson and the offense to learn and master Payton’s playbook. It showed.
Denver started the season 1-5 and had to work through the growing pains. Once they did that, however, things began to turn around. The Broncos went 5-0 and made a run for playoffs toward the end of the season.
Keeping Wilson as the starting quarterback next season would allow Payton to work with him and improve on what went wrong during the season. They’d be able to develop more of a game plan that can fit Wilson’s style and allow him to continue building chemistry with his receivers. The more time Wilson has, the more comfortable and consistent he will get.
Even if the Broncos decided to make a big move and draft a quarterback in the early rounds, it would be beneficial to have whoever they draft sit back and learn from Wilson for a year or two. Jordan Love is a perfect example of this; he sat behind Aaron Rogers for several seasons and is now in the playoffs after his first year starting.
The Broncos have lacked consistency since 2015, and it’s been hurting the organization in the long run. No one’s around long enough to develop a team, and bringing Wilson back would allow them to have that consistency and build on a pretty successful season overall.
While it seems unlikely for Wilson to return with how the season ended, it would be beneficial for both sides to come to an agreement and have Wilson back for the 2024 season.
