How Broncos' Cash Commitments at QB Impacts 2023 Outlook

The Denver Broncos have made the majority of their offseason moves, some more recent as they fine-tune the roster before training camp begins.

We now have a better idea about how much the Broncos will commit in terms of money toward the roster going into 2023. We can also get a better idea about the money commitment in 2024, given who is currently under contract with the team.

In the coming weeks, I'll continue to review each positional group and look at the money that's currently being committed to the biggest names in 2023, what can be expected for 2024, and what changes could potentially happen, which then affects the money committed.

We continue this series by looking at the quarterbacks, of which most everyone should know the details by now, but it does help to recap the situation and what it may mean for the future.

Quarterback Roster for 2023

Current roster: Russell Wilson, Jarrett Stidham, Ben DiNucci, Jarrett Guarantano

Largest cash commitments for 2023: Wilson received a $20M option bonus and will get an $8M base salary, for $28M in cash commitments this season. Stidham received a $2M signing bonus and a $2M base salary in the two-year deal he signed in March, for $4M in cash commitments this season. All that money is fully guaranteed.

Largest cash commitments for 2024: Wilson is due a $22M option bonus and a $17M base salary, all fully guaranteed. As has been discussed, though, the Broncos could still cut him before the start of the 2024 league year, with a post-June 1 designation, to avoid cash commitments for 2025. That's because, if he's on the roster March 21, 2024, his 2025 base salary of $37M becomes fully guaranteed.

Stidham is due a $4.49M base salary, of which $1M is fully guaranteed. He's also due a $1M roster bonus that is due early in the 2024 league year, plus a $510K per-game roster bonus.

What could change in 2023: The only question is whether or not the Broncos will keep three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster. Wilson and Stidham have their spots secured, given the money committed to them, while DiNucci and Guarantano are competing for a roster spot.

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What could change in 2024: As has been stated many times before, if Wilson plays in 2023 as he did in 2022, the Broncos won't have a choice but to designate him a post-June 1 cut. They have to do that so his 2025 salary doesn't become fully guaranteed. They can't escape the cash commitment for 2024, but they can at least get out of the cash Wilson is due in 2025.

If Wilson plays well, the Broncos will keep him. They could then decide to release Stidham, even with the $1M that he is fully guaranteed that year. The Broncos would still save quite a bit of cash, along with gaining $5M in cap space.

One thing to keep in mind about Wilson is that releasing him doesn't put the Broncos into a bind that requires them to gut the roster. They can safely cut players such as Garett Bolles, Randy Gregory, or others to get under the cap. However, they would need to draft a quarterback and would have to be careful with their approach to free agency.

READ: How Broncos' Cash Commitments at ILB Impacts 2023 Outlook

Bottom Line

It bears repeating: Wilson's future with the Broncos depends on his play in 2023. If he plays as he did in 2022, or if he's only slightly better but still bad overall, the Broncos will have to cut him after the season and deal with the pain.

Because Wilson's salary for 2025 is injury-only guaranteed, if he struggles, the Broncos will have to bench him sooner than later. They can't risk injury to him that would put the team on the hook for his 2025 salary.

However, if Wilson plays well, the Broncos will move forward with him as the starter. I would say Wilson at least needs to play at a level that is at least in the top 15. It would be better if he plays at a top-10 level, but I can understand that there is room for debate as to who makes the top 10. But top 15 shouldn't be out of the question if Wilson is to prove he can be the starter in the years to come.

As for the others, Stidham's future could be dependent on the Broncos' cap situation next year, while DiNucci and Guarantano must make their case to be on the main roster.

But when it comes to Wilson, the Broncos are on the hook for the cash he's due the next two seasons. The question is how well he performs this year and whether he justifies a cash commitment for 2025.

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