Internally, the Broncos felt like the situation they were going to present to a quarterback in 2022 wasn’t dissimilar from what they put in front of Peyton Manning in ’12.
They found a buyer in Russell Wilson, and he wasn’t the only one interested.
Over the weekend, rumblings emerged in Indianapolis that Aaron Rodgers, Deshaun Watson and Wilson all had Denver high on their lists, with Rodgers and Wilson considering it the top option if they weren’t to stay with their own teams. So when Rodgers made official what the Packers expected for a few days, if not weeks—that they’d keep their quarterback in 2022—the path was cleared for Denver to complete its deal for Wilson.