Russell Wilson's days as the Denver Broncos' starting quarterback appear to be numbered, if not totally over.
The 35-year-old veteran was benched this week after the Broncos lost to the New England Patriots at home on Christmas Eve. Broncos head coach Sean Payton announced ex-Patriots QB Jarrett Stidham would start the final two games of the regular season.
After two lackluster seasons in Denver, where could Wilson go if he doesn't return to the Broncos for the 2024 campaign? Could the Patriots be in the mix?
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Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer discussed that topic Sunday on NBC Sports Boston's Patriots Pregame Live.
"There's a path to him becoming a Patriot, but I think it's a relatively narrow one," Breer said. "You have to remember who Russell Wilson has been over the last few years and how that might fit into the framework of a team. He's sort of got the Carson Wentz problem. I think most people can't really envision him being a backup anywhere because of the celebrity he brings.
"And then the second question is, if you draft a quarterback, do you want him to be the bridge to your young starter? Do you want him to be the other guy in the room when you're trying to get a rookie quarterback ready to play? Most teams would answer no to that, too."
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What would be a realistic path for Wilson coming to the Patriots, or another team?
"I think part of this path for any team would be, 'We're drafting too low to get the quarterback we want, we don't have an answer (at QB) right now, so Wilson will be our for-now answer for 2024,'" Breer explained. "I think it has to be a scenario like that, where the Patriots wouldn't be getting their quarterback of the future in the 2024 draft. And of course there's the question of whether Bill Belichick will be here next season.
"This feels to me like a Belichick reclamation project if he couldn't get the quarterback he wanted in the draft and if he were still in New England. But if it's not Belichick here, it's really hard to see how a first-year coach would want to be saddled with everything that comes with Russell Wilson. I think it's a part of the celebrity Russell Wilson brings, the history he brings. It's going to be a little more difficult for him to find the right fit in 2024 than maybe a lot of people are anticipating."
Wilson is on the back nine of his career and isn't a viable long-term solution at quarterback. The smart play for the Patriots would be taking a quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft and signing a veteran backup in free agency (like a Case Keenum).
Even if the Patriots want a veteran to start next season, there are better options than Wilson, such as pending free agents Kirk Cousins and Baker Mayfield.