NFL Rumors: Broncos' Russell Wilson Still Seen as Full-Time Starter by Multiple Teams

Veteran quarterback Russell Wilson reportedly has a good chance of landing somewhere as a starting quarterback this offseason.

During an appearance Saturday on SportsCenter, ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler spoke about Wilson's prospects, saying: "I've talked to several teams who still believe that he's a full-time starter. There's a job for him somewhere."

Wilson had a bounce-back year with the Denver Broncos in 2023, but they benched him for the final two games of the regular season to avoid the possibility of injury guarantees triggering in his contract, which may have spelled the end of his tenure with the organization.

The 35-year-old Wilson is a likely future Hall of Famer, as he was a nine-time Pro Bowler and one-time Super Bowl champion during his 10-year run with the Seattle Seahawks.

Denver thought it was getting that same guy when it traded a treasure trove of draft picks and players to the Seahawks in exchange for Wilson prior to the 2022 season.

That campaign couldn't have gone much worse, as Wilson completed a career-worst 60.5 percent of his passes for 3,524 yards, a career-low 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

Denver went a disappointing 5-12, head coach Nathaniel Hackett was fired before completing a full season and it was likely that the Broncos were having buyer's remorse at that point when it came to Wilson.

In an effort to revive Wilson and the offense, the Broncos hired longtime New Orleans Saints head coach and Super Bowl winner Sean Payton as their new head coach.

The Broncos showed improvement, going 8-9, and Wilson had a much better season as well, completing 66.4 percent of his passing attempts for 3,070 yards, 26 touchdowns and eight picks, while also rushing for 341 yards and three scores in 15 games.

Payton kept things fairly conservative for Wilson, so the offense largely lacked explosiveness, but Wilson cut down on his mistakes and was far more efficient.

Even so, the Broncos apparently weren't impressed enough to commit to Wilson over the long haul, as benching him to avoid injury guarantees was an apparent sign that they wanted to move on.

Although the Broncos haven't officially parted ways, and there could be a world where he returns in 2024, it may be difficult for the Broncos to rebuild trust in Wilson's eyes.

Even if the Broncos cut or attempt to trade Wilson, there are seemingly enough teams out there with a need at quarterback that he should be able to maintain his status as a starter next season.

The New England Patriots, Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings, Las Vegas Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Commanders all stand out as teams that either have a quarterback need or could have a need, and any of them are potential landing spots for Wilson.