Broncos Won’t Pick Up Fifth-Year Option on Zach Wilson’s Contract

Following their recent acquisition of quarterback Zach Wilson in a trade, the Denver Broncos have been actively preparing for the upcoming competition for the starting position. Last Thursday, they selected Oregon quarterback Bo Nix in the first round of the NFL draft (12th overall). Sources have confirmed that the Broncos have informed Wilson and his representatives that they will not pick up the fifth-year option in Wilson’s contract. As the No. 2 pick of the 2021 draft by the New York Jets, Wilson’s rookie deal included a fifth-year option for the 2025 season.

The fifth-year option would have guaranteed Wilson $22.408 million. According to league rules, the deadline to pick up the fifth-year option for 2021 first-round picks was Thursday. This decision now allows Wilson to focus on making the most of the 2024 season with the Broncos before becoming a free agent in March.

Meanwhile, the Broncos have already engaged the fifth-year option on cornerback Pat Surtain II’s contract, valued at $19.8 million.

Wilson’s Acquisition and Competition

The Broncos traded a sixth-round pick in the recent draft last week to acquire Wilson and a seventh-round pick, with the Jets agreeing to cover a significant portion of Wilson’s $1.055 million base salary. Wilson, Nix, and Jarrett Stidham, who started the final two games of the 2023 season after Russell Wilson was benched, will now compete for the starting position in Denver.

“They’re all going to compete,” Broncos coach Sean Payton has said.

For Wilson, joining the Broncos represents a potential fresh start after his tenure with the Jets, during which he posted a 57% completion rate, 25 interceptions, and 23 touchdown passes in three seasons.

Coach Payton’s View on the Quarterback Room

“We were really happy to bring Zach on board,” Payton said last weekend. ” … It was a decision we had been eager to make for some time, to add into the [quaterback] room, and I think I said that much even at the owners meetings. We really liked that opportunity. There were a number of veteran backups that signed contracts, and yet we saw talent with a player that just three years ago was the No. 2 pick in the draft. We really like his traits.”

This report used information from ESPN.