Broncos Healthcare Following Russell Wilson’s final decision, Sean Payton believes the team can’t afford to lose out on “the next one” at quarterback.

The clever line is, “We have to make sure there’s no line through the next one.”

The subsequent one.

That very much eliminates any last bit of uncertainty from a situation that hasn’t really been in doubt for several weeks: Russell Wilson’s time in Denver is up. The Broncos have thrown themselves into the search for a new quarterback.

Payton and general manager George Paton were each unwilling to provide actual finality on Wilson, though Paton acknowledged he hasn’t sensed there’s any trade market for the 35-year-old quarterback just entering the five-year, $245 million extension the Broncos gave him in 2022.

Payton, at least, updated the timeline by saying that he expects a final decision regarding Wilson by the end of next week.

“We go through the combine week here,” he said. “Next week, I think Tuesday and Wednesday we’ll be in meetings with ownership. So I expect that we’re going to know fairly quickly. I said this at the Super Bowl, but more specifically, somewhere in the neighborhood of next week we’re going to know.”

Wilson during a podcast appearance Sunday night reiterated that he’d like to stay in Denver, citing his commitment to the franchise. But it’s clear at this point that the sides will be going their separate ways.

The league year starts officially March 13, and Denver will have to release or trade Wilson before March 17 to avoid locking in $37 million in salary guarantees for the 2025 season.

“You know, I haven’t heard anything from any teams,” Paton said when asked about a potential Wilson trade. “So, we’ll see.”

Release has always been the most likely scenario for Wilson, and comments from the general manager and head coach Tuesday only further cemented the certainty of that outcome. Payton pointed to a “couple of factors,” including the NFL setting each team’s base salary cap at $255.4 million last week, well ahead of most projections.

We have made progress with the draft class. Of course, pro-free agents (as well),” Payton went on.

“We want to see the entire landscape,” Paton continued. We needed to finish our draft meetings, wrap up our free agency discussions, and assess our current situation. All we want is to complete the procedure. In order for us to make an informed choice, Sean and the coaches must see every quarterback available.

Even though Wilson’s release is currently inevitable, it’s nonetheless a historic one.

QB is needed by the Broncos. Once more.

Payton’s presence in the midst of the quest is the biggest change this time around.

The seasoned head coach has every reason to believe Denver will emerge victorious and with a key player.

He declared, “I think we’ll be really good at this and I think we’re glad that a lot of people aren’t,” in part because of this.