With two weeks left in the regular season and still alive in the playoff hunt, Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos decided to bench starting quarterback Russell Wilson in favor of career backup Jarrett Stidham. This was a business decision because of Wilson would have suffered a major injury in the final two games then the Broncos would have been on the hook for a lot of money owed to Wilson.
The benching all but assured that the tenure in Denver for Wilson would end after just two seasons, despite the fact he signed a five-year deal worth nearly a quarter billion dollars. After a disastrous first season in Denver, Russell was actually putting up good numbers under new head coach and offensive mastermind Sean Payton, but it appears as though Payton and the front office are ready to move on.
One name that has been popping up lately as a possible replacement is New Orleans Saints swiss army knife Taysom Hill. Payton coached Hill for five seasons in New Orleans and used him in a variety of ways including playing some quarterback. It is not known at this point if Payton would be interested in using Hill as his full-time quarterback, but a player of Hill’s versatility can easily fit into any NFL offense.
The Saints have done a great job utilizing Hill’s unique skillset over the years and he put up solid numbers once again this past season. He completed six passes for 83 yards and one touchdown, rushed for 401 yards and four touchdowns and even caught 33 passes for 291 yards and two touchdowns.
The Denver Broncos will have a lot of questions to answer this off-season and it starts at the most important position of quarterback. Sean Payton knows that to win in this league, you need a great quarterback and it will be his job to find one either through the draft, free agency or via a trade.
