Broncos head coach Sean Payton: Decision on Russell Wilson's future coming 'within the next two weeks'

INDIANAPOLIS -- Russell Wilson's future in Denver will be determined within the fortnight.

Broncos head coach Sean Payton said Tuesday from the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine that he anticipates a decision on Wilson coming "within the next two weeks."

The timeline isn't a surprise, as Wilson, who benched for the final two weeks of last season, has a $37 million injury guarantee for 2025 that becomes fully guaranteed the fifth day of the new league year. Part of the reason for benching Wilson down the stretch was to avoid a catastrophic injury. Given Wilson's cap figure and the massive amount of dead-money that will come with cutting the QB, doing so before the new league year opens on March 13 is an obvious timeline.

Payton declined to say that the Broncos will, in fact, release Wilson, but the writing has been on the wall for months. Wilson recently noted on the I Am Athlete podcast that he's aiming for two more Super Bowl wins, which he hoped would come in Denver.

Asked Tuesday, Payton said he hadn't heard the podcast.

As Payton enters his second season in Denver, the key is finding a long-term solution at quarterback.

"We better (find the solution)," he said. "The question was finding the solution at quarterback in this league, which is obviously very competitive within our division. I think it's vital. I saw this humorous meme the other day where there's a Broncos fan with a shirt on and there's like eight quarterbacks names crossed through it and he's drinking the quarterback Kool-Aid. Our job is to make sure that this next one doesn't have a line through it."

Broncos general manager George Paton noted that he hasn't "heard anything from any teams" regarding a potential trade of Wilson, which isn't a big surprise given the