For the teams that sit below first place in the pecking order of the AFC West, the NFL offseason has become a yearly attempt to make small to seismic changes in the hopes of reversing course only to see the same things happen again. Fire a coach or keep him? Draft offense or defense? Go with a youth movement or push all the chips to the middle? Nothing has worked so far for anyone chasing the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Denver Broncos are hoping for a stronger foundation laid this year with the hiring of head coach Sean Payton from a year ago. But these days, the franchise is also flirting with quarterback changes just two seasons after cashing in a ton of draft and player assets to acquire Russell Wilson. Will it work? Well, no one is even quite sure what they will do just yet.
If Russell Wilson has his way, he'll stay in the AFC West to fight for another year (or five) with the Broncos.
The Broncos could talk themselves into one of the hot quarterback prospects entering this year's draft but they also have to figure out what to do with Wilson if that's the belief. And Wilson, for his part, isn't ready to let go. In fact, he's ready to see things through in Denver.
On the latest I Am Athlete podcast, Wilson recently sat down with Brandon Marshall to discuss his life on and off of the field, but he also addressed his future in Denver.
"I’ve got more fire than ever, honestly, especially over the last two years of what I’m going through, whether that’s in Denver or somewhere else. I hope it’s in Denver. I hope I get to finish there. I committed there. I wanted to be there. You know, I want to be there.
"For me, it’s about winning. In the next five years, I want to win two," says Wilson. "I want to feel the chill of that [Lombardi] trophy again. I love the city and everything else, but you wanna be in a place that wants you, too."
Does Denver want him, too? That much is in question, but at this point, it's hard to know what the Broncos honestly should do. They've entered that prospect carousel before and they've gone all in for the accomplished veteran and nothing has worked in the last eight years for anyone but K.C. in the West. And after claiming another Super Bowl, it's hard to see them losing in 2024.