HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Rams Activate CB Duke Shelley

January 10th, 2024 at 12:22pm CST by Ben Levine

JANUARY 10: The Rams will end up using their final IR activation on Shelley. Announcing the veteran cornerback’s activation Wednesday, the Rams join the Dolphins and Texans as playoff squads who have used all eight of their IR-return moves this season.

JANUARY 3: Duke Shelley is set to make his return. The Rams announced that they’ve designated the defensive back for return from injured reserve.

With Shelley returning to practice today, the Rams officially kicked off his 21-day window to be activated. The veteran has been on injured reserve since late November while recovering from a hamstring injury.

After spending the preseason with the Raiders, Shelley caught on with the Rams active roster prior to the start of the 2023 campaign. Prior to his injury, Shelley appeared in all 11 games for the Rams, with the majority of his snaps coming on special teams. In total, Shelley had collected eight tackles, two passes defended, and one fumble recovery during his time in Los Angeles.

When Shelley is ultimately activated from IR, he’ll have a tough time garnering much playing time behind Ahkello Witherspoon, Derion Kendrick, and Cobie Durant. He’ll face some competition from rookie Tre Tomlinson for the fourth spot on the depth chart.

As our Injured Reserve Return Tracker shows, the Rams only have one IR activation remaining. Assuming that goes to Shelley, the team won’t be allowed to activate any more players this season.

Ravens Open WR Devin Duvernay’s Practice Window

January 10th, 2024 at 11:49am CST by Sam Robinson

The Ravens’ commitment to bolstering their wide receiver position this past offseason moved Devin Duvernay out of a regular role on offense, but the former All-Pro return man remains a key performer for Baltimore’s special teams. He is on his way back to work for the playoffs.

Duvernay is back at Ravens practice Wednesday; the team designated its kick and punt returner for return from IR. Baltimore has four IR-return moves remaining, and Duvernay had been expected to comprise one of those slots. A December back injury moved Duvernay off Baltimore’s active roster.

Baltimore has received top-shelf return work from Duvernay during his career. The former third-round pick is a two-time Pro Bowler who collected a first-team All-Pro nod for his 2021 work. Duvernay led the NFL with 13.8 yards per punt return that season and has averaged at least 11.5 per return in each of his four seasons. Both of Duvernay’s return touchdowns have come on kick returns, in 2020 and ’22, with the Texas alum offering versatility during his Baltimore career.

A shaky Ravens receiver depth chart last season paved the way for Duvernay triple duty, and he totaled 37 receptions for 407 yards. A foot injury ended Duvernay’s season in December 2022, and the Ravens operated aggressively to stock their wideout group in 2023. As a result of the Odell Beckham Jr., Zay Flowers and Nelson Agholor additions (and Rashod Bateman staying healthy), Duvernay has caught just four passes for 18 yards in his contract year.

Tylan Wallace made a memorable contribution in Duvernay’s stead this season, notching a walk-off punt return to lift the Ravens past the Rams. While Wallace has worked as Baltimore’s punt returner as of late, Duvernay should be expected to reclaim his role once activated. The Ravens have three weeks to activate Duvernay, but with the team having secured a first-round bye, it should be expected he will be back by the divisional round.

The Ravens have Duvernay and cornerback Ar’Darius Washington in the IR-return window, making it likely the team will enter its playoff opener with two such moves left. While it is not a lock Mark Andrews can come back from ankle surgery, the Ravens should be expected to save an activation to allow for the Pro Bowler’s potential return.

Panthers Block Jaguars From Ejiro Evero DC Interview

January 10th, 2024 at 11:32am CST by Sam Robinson

For a second straight year, Ejiro Evero has been denied permission to interview for a defensive coordinator job. The Panthers’ intention to overhaul their operation does not yet mean Evero is gone, and they are keeping him in place for the time being.

Carolina blocked a Jacksonville effort to interview Evero for its newly vacant DC post, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler tweets. The Panthers have been linked to viewing Evero as a potential HC, and Fowler adds the team will indeed interview its defensive play-caller for the top job.

This is similar to the start of Evero’s 2023 offseason, when the Broncos had hoped to retain him after their 2022 defense fared well. Evero still interviewed for every HC position last year, including Carolina’s, with teams unable to block coordinators from HC meetings. Before the Broncos hired Sean Payton, the team blocked the assistant from interviewing for the Falcons’ DC job.

The Jaguars dismissed Mike Caldwell after two seasons as DC, firing most of their defensive staff as well. While the Jags are set to have a fourth defensive coordinator in five years, they have not previously been connected to Evero, who had spent five years as a Rams assistant under Sean McVay. Four of those Los Angeles seasons featured Evero as a safeties coach, but after McVay elevated him to DBs coach for the team’s 2021 Super Bowl-winning season, the assistant’s stock has skyrocketed.

Evero’s defense kept the Broncos in many games during an otherwise miserable 2022 season. He became the rare assistant from a 5-12 team to be coveted across the board by HC-needy teams. Evero did not land one of the five available jobs last year, but after a meeting with Payton did not produce a partnership, the Broncos let Evero out of his contract. That led to the Panthers hiring him to run their defense under Frank Reich. Despite Evero not being Carolina’s interim HC following Reich’s firing, rumors emerged indicating the team’s defensive play-caller could stay. This would mean either Evero makes an unlikely climb into the HC chair or stays in his DC role under the next Carolina leader.

The Panthers ranked 29th in scoring defense but fourth in yards allowed. This marked Evero’s second straight season with a top-10 total defense; the Broncos ranked seventh in yardage last season. DVOA tells a different story, ranking Carolina’s defense 25th. Still, the Panthers are not letting Evero leave just yet. While it would surprise if the team promoted from within after a 2-15 season, assistant GM Dan Morgan is a candidate to succeed Scott Fitterer.

Leslie Frazier To Interview For Bolts’ HC Job

January 10th, 2024 at 10:05am CST by Sam Robinson

After a year out of football, Leslie Frazier said recently he is ready to return. The former Vikings HC and Bills DC is back on the radar, with ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reporting the Chargers will interview him for their top coaching job.

Frazier served as Buffalo’s defensive coordinator from 2017-22, being the team’s primary play-caller during this span. But Sean McDermott went in another direction last year, opting to call plays himself for a team that had endured a one-sided home loss to the Bengals to close out the 2022 season. Nevertheless, Frazier — no longer under contract with the Bills, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler — is back in the mix.

Prior to his 2023 hiatus, Frazier had worked as an NFL assistant or HC for 24 straight years. The Bills initially framed his departure as the veteran stepping away, with the possibility of a return, but it was later believed McDermott made the call to move on from his six-year defensive lieutenant. Frazier is now eager to head elsewhere and vie for a head coaching job.

“I want to be able to be a part of this hiring cycle. I would love to be able to interview with an owner or organization for one of the head coach vacancies,” Frazier said, via CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones. “And I’m basing it on my past experience as a head coach who took a team to the playoffs, the success I’ve had in the NFL as a coordinator. And hope that would warrant me that opportunity.”

The Bills ranked in the top four in scoring defense three times from 2019-22, doing so with key personnel injured. Tre’Davious White went down on Thanksgiving 2021, and Von Miller suffered what appears to be a career-altering ACL tear on Thanksgiving 2022. The Bills played most of last season without Micah Hyde as well. That said, Buffalo suffered a crushing loss in Kansas City in the 2021 divisional round. The team’s defense crumbled late in a shootout, losing on the first possession of overtime. The team then could not match the Bengals in a 27-10 divisional-round defeat the following year. McDermott removed Frazier from the equation soon after.

Frazier has been an HC carousel regular, interviewing for the Bears, Dolphins and Giants’ jobs in 2022. The Texans interviewed Frazier in 2021, and the Colts met with him in 2018. Promoted from interim Vikings HC to their full-time leader in 2011, Frazier went 21-32-1 as Minnesota’s HC. Much of that time came when first-round bust Christian Ponder quarterbacked the Vikings. Minnesota’s 2012 team, spurred by MVP Adrian Peterson, still ventured to the playoffs.

It would not surprise to see Frazier also end up back on the DC radar, given his experience. Frazier’s age also places him as the oldest candidate on the Bolts’ interview list, though Bill Belichick (71) and Jim Harbaugh (60) are on the radar. Bruce Arians, at 66, is the oldest NFL HC ever hired.

Latest On Giants, DC Don Martindale

January 10th, 2024 at 8:45am CST by Sam Robinson

JANUARY 10: The Giants have not yet started searching for a Martindale replacement and are not planning to until he informs them of an official resignation, per NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo, with this standoff still going. Although Martindale is not technically gone, The Athletic’s Dan Duggan indicates neither side is aiming for a third season to come to pass at this point. Resignations are fairly rare in the NFL, due to the financial component, and it will be interesting to see if Martindale now forces the Giants to fire him.

JANUARY 9: It is fairly clear the Giants’ relationship with Don Martindale will wrap after two seasons. Brought in without ties to Brian Daboll in 2022, Martindale feuded with the 2022 Coach of the Year this season. That beef escalated Monday.

Following Daboll’s decisions to fire two of Martindale’s assistants — brothers Drew and Kevin Wilkins, who came with the defensive coordinator from the Ravens — the veteran DC cursed out Daboll in his office and stormed out of the Giants’ facility, Paul Schwartz of the New York Post reports. Martindale told people he would resign, but the Giants have not yet heard anything from the outgoing assistant.

Martindale, 60, is owed $3MM for the 2024 season. Resigning would lead to Martindale forfeiting that money, but with one year remaining on the three-year deal the vocal DC signed back in 2022, the Giants can interfere with him landing somewhere else as a defensive coordinator for the ’24 season. Martindale is believed to be flying back to a home he has in Florida, Schwartz adds.

The November report from Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer, which indicated the Daboll-Martindale relationship was in a bad place, came not long after Daboll took issue with Martindale’s approach during the team’s blowout loss to the Cowboys in Week 10. Implementing a conservative gameplan around Tommy DeVito and a depleted secondary in that matchup, Daboll did not approve of Martindale deploying blitz packages as he did during a game in which the Giants allowed 640 yards — second-most in team history. Daboll confronted Martindale about Glazer’s report privately, per Schwartz, but no explanation emerged.

Daboll is believed to have fired Drew Wilkins, the team’s outside linebackers coach, due in part because of a perception he and Martindale were operating in rogue fashion and believing, Schwartz reports, they did not always have to answer to the offense-oriented head coach. This also led to the ouster of Kevin Wilkins, who worked as a defensive assistant. Drew Wilkins had spent 10 seasons with the Ravens, the timeline overlapping entirely with Martindale’s Baltimore stay. Joining the Giants shortly after Martindale, Drew Wilkins operated as a top lieutenant on defense. On his watch, Kayvon Thibodeaux showed progression in Year 2, posting a team-high 11.5 sacks.

Daboll made a point not to be tied to coaches he was previously familiar with, instead assembling an assistant cadre featuring differing backgrounds. After Martindale and ST coordinator Thomas McGaughey‘s ousters, it is worth wondering if the former Bills OC will deviate from that strategy. The Giants finished 26th in scoring defense and 27th in yards allowed, both finishes worse than the team’s 2022 playoff season.

This Martindale matter will be resolved soon, and it marks the second time in three years a team will part ways with the veteran defensive coach. Differing on contract structure in 2022, the Ravens let Martindale go after a four-season DC run. Martindale interviewed twice for the Colts’ HC post last year. After this simmering feud led to this conclusion, it is worth wondering if another team will consider the Super Bowl-winning assistant for a top job moving forward.

Browns Designate S Grant Delpit For Return

January 10th, 2024 at 8:29am CST by Sam Robinson

Entering the playoffs with the NFL’s No. 1-ranked total defense, the Browns will hope to have one of their injured starters back for Saturday’s wild-card matchup against the Texans.

They designated Grant Delpit to return from IR on Wednesday. The fourth-year safety has missed the past four games due to a groin injury. While Cleveland has seen several starters suffer season-ending injuries on the offensive side, Jim Schwartz‘s unit has not seen its troops suffer as many setbacks. Upon placing Delpit on IR, the team had targeted a playoff return.

The Browns and Delpit reached a rare gameday extension agreement; at least, the news came out about the deal hours before the team’s Week 14 game. But Delpit sustained the injury during that contest. He agreed to a three-year, $36MM extension, which came with $14.9MM fully guaranteed.

A 2020 second-round pick, Delpit has come a long way since an Achilles tear sidelined him for his entire rookie season. The LSU product has become a key piece, working as a three-year starter. Despite the four-game hiatus, Delpit sits second on the team with 80 tackles this season. Pro Football Focus slots Delpit just outside the top 30 among safeties, giving him a better mark for his coverage work compared to run defense.

While the Browns have not seen their defense battered compared to what has happened to their offense, the team did lose Rodney McLeod for the season. However, rookie UDFA Ronnie Hickman — a starter during Delpit’s absence — has shown flashes early. Hickman notched a pick-six against the Jets in Week 17 and, albeit on a limited snap count, finished his first NFL regular season as PFF’s No. 6-ranked safety. Hickman joins Delpit and Juan Thornhill on Cleveland’s defensive back line.

Thornhill signed a three-year, $21MM deal in free agency, and Delpit’s subsequent accord locks in both Browns starting safeties through at least the 2025 season. The team can devote resources elsewhere come March as a result of keeping Delpit off the 2024 market. The Browns’ injury issues notwithstanding, they are in great shape in terms of IR activations. Five such moves remain available for the AFC’s No. 5 seed.

Titans Fallout: Vrabel, Adams Strunk, Carthon, Trade, Levis, Henry, Cowden, Pats

January 9th, 2024 at 9:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

The most surprising of this year’s head coach firings came out of Nashville. Although steady smoke about Mike Vrabel discontent emerged over the past several weeks, the Titans were connected to a trade — not an outright firing. But the organization took the latter route Tuesday morning. Vrabel is out after six seasons.

The Titans considered making a concerted effort to trade Vrabel’s rights elsewhere, as the Saints did with Sean Payton last year. But controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk said the team did not want to risk a lengthy trade negotiation, during a search in which interested teams would also need to comply with the Rooney Rule, delaying the team from finding a suitable Vrabel replacement. This led to the firing, with Adams Strunk informing Vrabel today.

“Yes, we thought about it, but at the end of the day, with league rules the way they are, it would have maybe put us back three weeks,” Adams Strunk said during an appearance on 104.5 The Zone of a trade. “Honestly, to get the right head coach, I was not willing to go to the back of the line and take a chance of missing out on someone we really wanted.”

Rumors of a rift between Vrabel and first-year GM Ran Carthon had surfaced, and while Carthon attempted to shoot those down, Adams Strunk said the team wants “an aligned and collaborative team across all football functions.” Vrabel also may have sought more of a say in personnel, per SI.com’s Albert Breer. The Titans gave their veteran HC such input when they fired Jon Robinson in December 2022, but the team added Carthon and assistant GMs Chad Brinker and Anthony Robinson this offseason. Both Vrabel and Carthon reported to Adams Strunk. Tennessee’s ensuing moves provided a rebuilding outlook, something that might come to fruition this year.

Furthermore, Adams Strunk did not choose the GM candidate Vrabel wanted last year. Vrabel is believed to have preferred the team to elevate interim GM Ryan Cowden to the full-time role, according to the Boston Globe’s Ben Volin. Vrabel and Cowden shared responsibility to close out last season, following the surprising Jon Robinson ouster. Vrabel and Robinson had signed extensions in February 2022; Robinson’s went through 2027, Vrabel’s through ’25. Cowden ended up with the Giants this past offseason.

Not in the meeting when Adams Strunk fired Vrabel, Carthon will lead the Titans’ HC search, the Athletic’s Dianna Russini tweets. The ex-49ers exec said others will be part of it. Tennessee’s assistant coaches will be retained until a new coach arrives.

While Carthon said a Will Levis-centered approach will not drive the search, the young GM did point out (via TitanInsider.com’s Terry McCormick) the team will seek a head coach willing to work with the 2023 second-round pick. Ryan Tannehill is a free agent in March and appears likely to join Derrick Henry in leaving. Although Henry being handed a microphone to thank Titans fans after the season sends a pretty clear signal he intends to move on after eight seasons, Carthon said the door is not closed on a third Henry contract.

Adams Strunk has now fired both the pillars who helmed the Titans to three playoff berths from 2019-21, with Robinson also in place for the team’s 2017 sojourn to the divisional round. She has developed a reputation as impulsive, Breer adds. With the Titans coming off back-to-back losing seasons, the second-generation owner will assemble a new power structure. She did not confirm who would report to whom just yet.

Regarding the obvious Vrabel fit, the Patriots should be considered likely to express interest. Bill Belichick has been connected to every non-Titans HC opening, and while not all of the teams with vacancies may ultimately be interested, it does seem some interest would be out there. The Patriots’ goal could soon be to hire Vrabel, who is now available without draft picks changing hands, and trade Belichick. That would leave Jerod Mayo, who held the inside track on being Belichick’s heir apparent when Robert Kraft stepped in and authorized an extension last year, on the outside looking in. But Vrabel — a Patriots mainstay from 2001-08 — has been connected to the Patriots for months, being viewed as a “home run hire.”

Helping to smooth out this process: Belichick and Vrabel share an agent, Volin adds. Belichick is aiming to stay on in New England for at least one more season, and he sounds willing to adjust the personnel aspect of his job. One season remains on Belichick’s contract. It still sounds more likely than not the legendary HC will be elsewhere next season, and the separation process is expected to take some time. Vrabel being unattached, however, could conceivably expedite these proceedings.

Terry Fontenot Role Not Diminished; Latest On Falcons-Bill Belichick Link

January 9th, 2024 at 9:39pm CST by Sam Robinson

When the Falcons fired Arthur Smith, the team’s official statement included curious wording with regards to Terry Fontenot‘s role in identifying the team’s next head coach. But Falcons CEO Rich McKay attempted to downplay the uncertainty about his GM’s standing.

The Falcons’ statement indicated McKay and Arthur Blank would run point on hiring Smith’s replacement. Seeing as McKay is a former Super Bowl-winning GM (in Tampa) and held the role in Atlanta, he obviously makes sense as a lead voice here. But the statement said Fontenot would provide input during the organization’s search, suggesting his status may be diminished after three years with GM power. McKay, however, said Fontenot’s role remains the same, per ESPN.com’s Mike Rothstein.

Fontenot and the next Falcons HC will report to McKay, with the team (via Rothstein) planning to keep a 50-50 power split between the GM and Smith’s replacement. This setup can obviously lead to a divided organization, but McKay added the 50-50 plan will depend on who the Falcons hire as head coach. This can be interpreted as the Falcons keeping the door open to a high-profile HC having more say compared to Smith, and the Falcons continue to be linked to such a name.

Bill Belichick emerged as a possible name to monitor in the Atlanta HC search Sunday, and SI.com’s Albert Breer notes several NFL staffers have pointed to the connection between the New England HC and the Falcons as one to follow. Blank, 81, has hired first-time NFL HCs at each step since buying the Falcons in 2002. He fired Dan Reeves during the ’03 season, hiring Jim Mora Jr. in ’04. After the Bobby Petrino whiff, Blank hired Mike Smith before the Dan Quinn and Arthur Smith additions. Belichick obviously resides in a different class than any coach in Falcons history.

It is unclear still if Belichick is a serious candidate anywhere, but he has now been connected to five HC vacancies. The Falcons profile as an interesting one, given the team’s pieces on the offensive line and at the skill positions. DC Ryan Nielsen elevated the Falcons’ defense, though that unit crumbled in Chicago and New Orleans to close the season. Belichick also would be expected to run Atlanta’s defense in the event he was acquired via trade or hired as a coaching free agent. The matter of the Falcons’ QB situation lingers for any incoming HC, but the team — after finishing second for Deshaun Watson in 2022 and passing on a Lamar Jackson offer sheet in order to continue with Desmond Ridder in 2023 — is expected to chase a bigger name soon.

If Belichick comes in, Fontenot may have an uphill battle in keeping notable personnel input. That said, the New England HC is open to relinquishing some of his GM power in his current post. With Mike Vrabel now available, the Pats may pivot in that direction and ramp up their efforts to unload Belichick. A Falcons-Jim Harbaugh pursuit should also not be dismissed, Breer adds. This would move another team into the Harbaugh mix, though the Chargers and Raiders have been the clubs most closely connected to the national championship-winning HC.

The Falcons hired Fontenot, 43, from the Saints in 2021. He was handed a rebuild project, something McKay essentially confirmed (via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s D. Orlando Ledbetter) this week. The team took on record-setting in the Matt Ryan trade and incurred two years’ worth of dead money on both the Julio Jones and Deion Jones swaps. With the bulk of that dead cap in the past by 2023, Fontenot splurged in free agency for the likes of Jessie Bates, David Onyemata and Kaden Elliss.

While Fontenot looks likely to stay on for fourth season as GM, his role may well be up in the air depending on who the Falcons hire as head coach.

Panthers To Interview Dan Morgan For GM; Team Considering Pairing Exec With Outside Hire

January 9th, 2024 at 9:22pm CST by Sam Robinson

Firing Scott Fitterer nearly two months after the historically early Frank Reich ouster, the Panthers still have one of their top holdovers in their plans.

Rumored to be in the mix to move up the ladder, assistant GM Dan Morgan will indeed book an interview, ESPN.com’s David Newton tweets. Morgan has received support internally, and Newton adds many around the NFL view the former Panthers linebacker as ready to become a GM. He will have his chance to make a case soon.

Morgan, 45, has been in place as Carolina’s assistant GM since 2021, when he returned to Charlotte after a stay in Buffalo. A first-round Panthers pick back in 2001, Morgan made 59 starts for the Panthers. Injuries intervened for the former Miami Hurricane, but he has found a niche in personnel. The Bills’ regime of ex-Panthers, Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott, hired Morgan in 2018. He spent three years as the team’s director of player personnel. Morgan also has a past with Fitterer, working in the Seahawks front office from 2010-17.

The Panthers may not, however, be ready to give Morgan the keys. But rumblings around the league have pointed to the team considering a setup in which Morgan pairs with a football ops-side hire, SI.com’s Albert Breer notes. A co-GM setup is not especially realistic, but teams often have head coaches and GMs separately report to ownership. The Panthers could have a similar blueprint in mind.

Carolina extended interview opportunities to a few staffers on the operations side, as opposed to those who have come up through scouting, this week. The team wants to interview Chiefs VP of football operations Brandt Tilis for a second time, after meeting with him in 2021. Ravens VP of football administration Nick Matteo, Eagles assistant GM Alec Halaby, Buccaneers assistant GM Mike Greenberg and Saints assistant GM Khai Harley — who has played a lead role in the team’s numerous restructures to complete complex paths to comply with the salary cap — fit this profile as well.

More than half of the Panthers’ interview requests have gone out to this genre of candidate. Despite ties to a failed regime, Morgan appears to have a legitimate shot to stick around in a more prominent role.

Latest On Broncos, Russell Wilson

January 9th, 2024 at 9:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

An upset loss to the Patriots on Christmas Eve set forth a chain reaction that led to the Broncos’ behind-the-scenes drama with Russell Wilson becoming public days later. Wilson appears headed toward free agency, but the Broncos are stopping short of confirming that.

Sean Payton and GM George Paton said Tuesday the two-year Denver starting quarterback could return in 2024, with the veteran head coach indicating (via the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson) he spoke at length with Wilson after the season ended. Paton said (via Tomasson) the 12-year QB is open to coming back.

Wilson said as much two weeks ago, confirming the rumors the Broncos approached him about changing the guarantee vesting date in his contract. Paton confirmed the Broncos made a “good faith” effort to address the $49MM-AAV contract during the team’s bye week, contacting Wilson’s agent, Tomasson adds. This brought the NFLPA into the process, though no grievance is expected.

“I spent half an hour with Russ yesterday, and I told him, I said, ‘Look, I don’t think it’s going to be a long, drawn-out process, but it hasn’t been decided relative to what our plans are,’” Payton said, via NFL.com’s James Palmer. “But as soon as we know something, certainly he would be the first to know.”

Paton later said he works collaboratively with Payton, but the three-year GM indicted the late-December benching was independent of the guarantee that would kick in had Wilson suffered an injury that would have prevented him from passing a physical in March. Considering the circumstances, that is rather difficult to believe.

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

The Broncos retaining Wilson past the fifth day of the 2024 league year would lead to his $37MM 2025 base salary becoming guaranteed. Wilson’s 2024 money is already locked in, and a March release would still result in a record-smashing $84.6MM in dead money associated with a single player. The Broncos would assuredly spread that over two offseasons, via a post-June 1 designation. If they kept Wilson for 2024, he would be just as difficult to release in 2025. The 2025 salary guarantee vesting this March would lead to an $86MM dead-money hit in the event of a ’25 release.

Wilson, 35, has expected to be released for weeks. The Broncos, however, do not have access to the top quarterbacks in the draft. Barring a trade, that is. Considering Denver already traded two first-round picks for Wilson and sent the Saints first- and second-rounders for Payton’s rights, a trade-up maneuver for a passer would be particularly costly. The Broncos hold the No. 12 pick in the 2024 draft, complicating their path to land a rookie.

The free agency crop stands to feature Kirk Cousins and Baker Mayfield as the top names, but both arms have expressed interest in staying with their current teams. Ryan Tannehill, Gardner Minshew, Sam Darnold, Jacoby Brissett, Jake Browning and ex-Payton Saints charge Jameis Winston are among the notable QBs on track for free agency. Jarrett Stidham‘s $10MM contract runs through 2024, putting the two-time contract-driven replacement in play to be a Broncos bridge starter in 2024.

Paton being the point man on the Wilson trade and Nathaniel Hackett hire naturally invited rumors about his job status, seeing as Payton inherited the ex-Vikings exec as GM. But Payton again offered support for his coworker Tuesday. This follows a Sunday report that indicated Paton is more likely to stay for a fourth year. When asked (via Tomasson) who has the final say if a Payton-Paton disagreement ensues, the GM said that scenario has not yet come up. While John Elway‘s GM successor has offered hits (the 2021 draft), his misses (a list that also includes Randy Gregory) have outshined those through three years.

After the team gave up a blockbuster trade haul to land Wilson, another offseason looks set to be devoted to identifying a passer. Unless Wilson changes his mind and is suddenly amenable to a pay cut or a reworking that gives the Broncos more flexibility, Payton is likely to have his first chance in Denver to handpick a starting quarterback. It would be unlikely Paton stands in the HC’s way.

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