The Denver Broncos have Bo Nix under contract for the foreseeable future, but their backup quarterbacks — Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson — are poised to be free agents. Stidham and Wilson are expected to garner interest on the open market, which could make it difficult to re-sign one of them.
In Wilson’s case, the Las Vegas Raiders are one team potentially in the market for the former No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, according to Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The Raiders hired an experienced head coach in Pete Carroll, and he’s expected to seek a veteran quarterback presence to stabilize the team, and Wilson is still young (25).
“Obviously, there’s a long way to go with the Raiders QB room, but a name that keeps coming up here in Indianapolis, at least in terms of bringing into the mix, is Zach Wilson,” Bonsignore posted on X earlier this week.
Wilson was drafted by the New York Jets to be their franchise quarterback but struggled throughout his three years there. This led the Jets to pursue Aaron Rodgers, with the intention of Wilson sitting behind him in the 2023 season. A season-ending injury led to Wilson being vaulted back into the starting lineup, and it didn’t go well for the former BYU star, leading the Jets to trade him to Denver last offseason.
The Broncos acquired Wilson via trade a few days before the 2024 NFL draft. He was in the final year of his rookie contract since New York didn’t exercise his fifth-year option (nor did the Broncos), and he competed with Nix and Stidham for the starting job. It was quickly determined that the competition was between Nix and Stidham, with Wilson as the third quarterback.
Nix would go on to start the whole season, so there wasn’t a need for Wilson to ever see the field. If the NFL Combine buzz holds water and the Raiders pursue him, he likely won’t be the only veteran brought into Vegas, with Sam Darnold being the free-agent prize this year.
At first glance, Broncos Country shouldn’t fear Wilson signing with the Raiders, but who knows what a year under Sean Payton, Joe Lombardi, and Davis Webb may have done to help his development.
