Russell Wilson could not be the only talent to leave the Broncos.

After agreeing not to trade any wide outs last season, the Denver Broncos will need to decide whether anyone will have to leave before free agency begins in March.

“It’s always difficult when you have to make decisions about players you’ve coached,” Broncos coach Sean Payton explained. “I believe that is part of the process of figuring out this game. The pay cap is a challenge that you face year after year.

During Super Bowl week, Payton compared the Broncos’ decisions to a “puzzle box that you flip over.”

The first major domino will most likely be quarterback Russell Wilson. If the Broncos dismiss Wilson, as many expect after Payton benched him with two games left in the season, they will face $85 million in dead money against their salary cap over the next two seasons.

While Payton and general manager George Paton continue to outline a scenario in which Wilson stays — Payton stated several times in Las Vegas last week that he and Wilson have a “great relationship” — Wilson’s release would cast doubt on the futures of several Broncos veterans, particularly wide receivers.

Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick, and Jerry Jeudy are now in the Broncos’ top nine salary cap charges for the 2024 season, ranking sixth, seventh, and ninth, respectively. And, even before the Broncos make a choice on Wilson, the franchise expects to have $9.6 million in dead money and be almost $24 million above the cap next season if it is set at $242 million.

Sutton, Patrick, and Jeudy’s only lengthy run together over the past four seasons was ten games in 2021. With the team’s quarterback and coaching staff constantly changing, Sutton’s 1,112-yard season in 2019 is the only 1,000-yard season by a player in the last seven years.

Last April, the Broncos also selected Marvin Mims Jr. with their second-round pick (63rd overall). Mims was named to the Pro Bowl as a returner and demonstrated that he is prepared for additional responsibilities next season.

“I don’t think about any of that,” Jeudy stated at the end of the season when asked about potential changes. “All I want to do is be more consistent and maintain doing so. As I told others, we’ve got the most wins while I’ve been here, so that’s progress, but it’s about having the right guys to do what the coaches want.

Patrick, who has missed the past two seasons due to injury (torn right ACL in 2022 and torn left Achilles in 2023), has no guaranteed income remaining on his deal. With a salary cap charge of $15.572 million next season, the Broncos may attempt to renegotiate his contract for salary cap relief.

Sutton, who tied for fourth in the league with 10 touchdowns last season, has a cap charge of $17.325 million, according to Roster Management System, with $2 million of his $14.5 million base salary guaranteed on the fifth day of the league year. Even a guarantee like Sutton’s may be something the Broncos want to discuss.

According to league sources, Jeudy garnered the greatest trade interest at various periods last season, including in the final hours before the trade deadline. He will play under the terms of the Broncos’ fifth-year option, which was picked up in May, thus his base pay of $12.987 million is guaranteed.

Payton expected to begin roster meetings with his coaching staff on Monday, during which choices concerning the salary cap, depth chart, and potential free agent targets would begin to take shape.

“I still believe that if we’re all together, the potential is off the charts,” Sutton stated as the season came to an end. “We all want to be here when we turn things around and be a part of it. All you can do is control the controllables, and that is all.