The day Sean Payton lashed out at Russell Wilson on the sidelines for something that didn’t seem like his fault, it signaled the end of Wilson’s time in Denver. And that’s exactly what happened after the conclusion of the 2023 season. Payton and the Broncos, however, came under a lot of criticism for how they dealt with their Super Bowl-winning shot-caller. Although he had three years remaining on his contract with the team, with millions in guaranteed money just this season, Wilson was given the boot, leaving the future of the franchise in troubled waters.
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Releasing Wilson has left a big hole in the Broncos’ QB room with only two viable options available to them as of now — Jarrett Stidham and Ben DiNucci. They surely have a plan, whether drafting a rookie like Bo Nix or bringing someone like Carson Wentz, but Shannon Sharpe does not sympathize with his former club, where he spent the majority of his career and won two Super Bowls.
In a recent episode of the Nightcap podcast, Sharpe made his stance known by stating that the Broncos have made their bed and now they have to lie in it. When an organization makes decisions like these, they have to live with the consequences. The Hall of Fame Tight End understands the process in the NFL.
He knows that sometimes coaches like to shake things up and insert their personnel and players suited to their system. But he believes Sean Payton didn’t give Wilson a fair shake. However, he is hoping things go well for his former team, but he stressed that he is not carrying a torch for Payton. He expressed,
“When you make those kinds of decisions, you have to live with the ramifications that come with those decisions,” followed by, “I get it as when a new coach and new staff come in, they want their own people. But look, I just don’t believe that Sean Payton gave Russ a fair chance. He just came, heard some things going on, for the year he is proud to be there and it just rubbed him the wrong way. But I hope things work out because at the end of the day, I don’t have no loyalty to Sean Payton. I am a Bronco.”
While Sharpe is optimistic and wishful about his former team, his mate Ocho is harboring no such hopes as he believes things won’t be working out for the Broncos for at least a few years.
Ocho Has No Hopes of Denver Broncos and Sean Payton Working It Out
Chad Ochocinco believes the situation will not resolve itself for the Denver Broncos because teams, especially nowadays, cannot function without a proper shot-caller. The team can only go as far as their QB takes them. And Chad feels, given the personnel they have, things might not work out anytime soon.
Given the large dead cap, it will be very hard for them to bring in an experienced quarterback. He also clarified that most known QBs have already found their places in other teams, and they won’t be moving for several years. If they draft a prospect, however, it could also take years for him to develop.
“You know the situation will not work out itself. You are only as good as your quarterback and you can only go as far as your quarterback is going to take you,” Johnson said. “You have to understand that you guys have no QB. You won’t be able to get a new QB for another 2-3 years. Everybody else is locked in and locked up. You think someone is magically gonna appear all of a sudden and become great out of the blue. That’s not how it works.”
After releasing Russell, the Broncos are left with Jarett Stidham and Ben DiNucci. Stidham, drafted by the Patriots in 2019, is on his third team and has had only four starts in his five-year NFL career. DiNucci, on the other hand, was part of the Broncos’ practice squad but wasn’t even elevated to the active roster once.
So, it’s more than clear that the Broncos are very likely to find themselves without an experienced shot-caller in the upcoming season. The franchise has yet to make the playoffs since the 2015 season when Peyton Manning concluded his career with his second Lombardi. And it looks like the drought will continue for a few more years.
