Russell Wilson’s future is uncertain for the first time in his NFL career. Wilson has spent 12 years as a franchise quarterback with no doubt about that fact. Now, with his time in Denver all but over (and nobody willing to trade for the remainder of his monster contract), Wilson will be looking for a new home in 2024.
Wilson used to be a perennial fantasy football QB1, and his shine is all but gone. But the recent downturn in his career has sunk his dynasty price point to all-time lows. Ranking as the QB32 on KeepTradeCut, he’s a massive value right now in superflex dynasty formats. With Wilson turning just 36 this season, and a history of elite play during his career, he could be in line for a major bounceback in 2024 if he finds himself in a good situation.
The Patriots, Raiders, Steelers and Falcons all seem like teams who could be interested in the veteran quarterback market when we hit free agency in just a couple of weeks. That short list of teams doesn’t include the Bears, Commanders, Vikings, Buccaneers, Giants or Broncos. The Bears and Commanders hold the first two picks in the NFL draft, and the Vikings and Buccaneers will likely work to retain Kirk Cousins and Baker Mayfield. The Giants are sort of stuck with Daniel Jones, but crazier things have happened in the NFL. And obviously, the Broncos won’t be retaining Wilson.
The Patriots are an interesting case. They hold the No. 3 overall pick in the draft, meaning they’re at the mercy of the two teams ahead of them to decide which quarterback to select. If their quarterback evaluations don’t go three deep, they have the option to trade out of the pick or draft WR Marvin Harrison Jr., the consensus best non-quarterback prospect in the class.
QBs 1-3 of the draft and current Bears QB Justin Fields will all likely land with some combination of these teams. With more QB demand than supply, Wilson is sure to find a job. What that process looks like is to be determined.
It’s possible that Wilson signs with a new team right out of the gates and our questions are instantly answered. It’s also possible that Wilson gets left on the outside looking in as he waits for the right situation and teams sign lower caliber options. That would obviously be bad for Wilson’s fantasy value. But if he matches with a team in the same sort of way that Baker Mayfield did in 2023 with the Buccaneers, Wilson will have a chance to revive his career.
Wilson’s ideal landing spots would be the Falcons and Raiders. Any quarterback on the market would be happy to walk into the Falcons’ offensive situation. The Raiders have virtually zero competition at the position and multiple offensive pieces to support a new quarterback. Rookie QB Aidan O’Connell played relatively well last season, but I don’t think anybody believes he’s stopping the Raiders from investing capital at the position again this year. Plus, they’re division rivals with the Broncos, they have a new player-friendly coach in Antonio Pierce, they have top-tier facilities and they’re located in an attractive city.
The Patriots and Steelers would be better options for Wilson than not finding a job, but those teams would come with their challenges. The Patriots roster is a mess and are sure to be among the league’s worst teams in 2024. This is not a Houston Texans situation, who spent multiple seasons rebuilding their team before striking gold with C.J. Stroud in last year’s draft. The Steelers have a better roster than the Patriots, but former first-round QB Kenny Pickett would be waiting in the wings to take the job back at the first sign of poor play from Wilson.
The Vikings and Buccaneers would be fine fits if they’re unable to re-sign Cousins and Mayfield, but for now, they’re not realistic landing spots.
I’ll be working to get one or two extra shares of Wilson before free agency opens. The price tag is so low at the time of this writing that the upside far outweighs the risk.
Elijah Southwick is the lead sports content writer for Degen Magazine. His work has appeared in several news and sports publications