DENVER — With the No. 12 overall draft pick in potential no-man's land when it comes to selecting a top quarterback, the Broncos acquired insurance at the pivotal position Monday by reaching agreement with the New York Jets to add Zach Wilson, a source confirmed to 9NEWS.
That doesn't mean anyone should cross quarterbacks J.J. McCarthy or Bo Nix off the Broncos' list of No. 12 draft pick possibilities. McCarthy might require a trade up while Nix perhaps could be had with a trade back. But the Broncos don't have to stretch to take a QB at 12 if they don't want.
The Broncos will give up one of their sixth-round picks in the upcoming draft and will get a seventh-round pick back from the Jets, who will also pick up half of Wilson's $5.45 million payout for 2024, according to a source.
The Broncos are expected to decline Wilson's fifth-year option of $22.4 million in 2025. Go back to the 2021 NFL Draft. The Broncos would have loved to have had Wilson available. The BYU product went No. 2 overall to the Jets as the Broncos with their No. 9 pick declined to draft quarterback Justin Fields and instead drafted cornerback Pat Surtain II. Both Wilson and Fields have now been traded for sixth-round or later picks.
To date, Wilson has been a disappointment. In three seasons with the Jets, he is 12-21 with more interceptions (25) than touchdown passes (23). He is 2-1 against the Broncos – both wins coming at Empower Field at Mile High – even though he has zero touchdown passes against three interceptions for the team.
Wilson will compete with Jarrett Stidham for the Broncos' starting quarterback position. The contract situations for both could favor Wilson. Stidham is due to make $6 million in 2024 but only $1 million is guaranteed. The Broncos would pay $2.73 million to Wilson but all of it is guaranteed.
The Broncos could still take a QB with their No. 12 overall pick -- Zach Wilson isn't about to change those plans. But the chances have to be slightly better they use that pick to take the best available position player. Among the candidates are Alabama edge rusher Dallas Turner, UCLA edge Laiatu Latu, Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold or Georgia tight end Brock Bowers.
The Broncos may also trade back from No. 12 in hopes of still taking a. quality player in the first round – Nix, perhaps? – while adding another Day 2 draft pick in either the second or third round.
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