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If anyone needed confirmation that the ' blockbuster offseason gambles have not paid off, the team provided it this week, firing coach Nathaniel Hackett just 15 games into his first season. Now, there remains one other elephant in the room: quarterback . The longtime star arrived with much Bobby Jenks Jersey fanfare, acquired in exchange for a ma sive trade package and inked to a $245 million extension before taking his first snap in orange. But Wilson, like Hackett, has been instrumental in Denver's dysfunctional 2022 performance, leading to questions about his own future with the team.Fully diagnosing, let alone correcting, Wilson's plummet under center is hard enough. Long one of the 's standard-bearers when it comes to poise, pocket awarene s and downfield pa sing, the QB has endured easily the worst season of his career at 34, barely completing 60 percent of his throws while totaling just 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions during a 3-10 stretch as the starter. Hackett's decision-making, plus a banged-up supporting cast, surely contributed to Wilson's drop-off. But there are larger concerns at work here, namely Wilson's apparent decline in mobility, which once enabled him to extend plays with ease; and an even more apparent , which has never been his bread and butter.It's become increasingly clear that Wilson both wants and needs to be a QB that he's never truly been, at least up to this point: he to be the ultra-efficient superstar whose legacy and trophy case improve with age, and he to be ultra-efficient to compensate for le s trademark elusivene s and off-script athleticism. Figuring out how to strike a happy medium, and ironically revert Wilson to the Seahawks-level production he sought to escape, will be the next Broncos coach's top task.Or will it? Is there actually a scenario where Denver could cut the cord on this marriage after just one season? If general manager George Paton sticks around, as the Broncos indicated in their Michael Jordan Jersey dismi sal of Hackett, it may be le s likely. Paton, after all, is the one who swung for the fences to land Wilson, parting with three players and five draft picks, including two first-rounders, to do so. He's the one who gave Wilson a five-year, $245M extension, with $124M guaranteed, on Sept. 1, without ever seeing the QB play a Broncos game that counted. While Wilson's steadily sluggish debut should give new team ownership plenty of pause about the short- and long-term prospects of their team, the QB's results can't be fully separated from the price paid to get them. This is a busine s. And there is no easy way for Denver to turn this into a profit. CBS Sports HQ Newsletter Your Ultimate Guide to Every Day in Sports We bring sports news that matters to your inbox, to help you stay informed and get a winning edge. I agree to receive the "CBS Sports HQ Newsletter" and marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers), and other information from CBS Sports and the Paramount family of companies. By pre sing sign up, I confirm that I have read and agree to the and acknowledge Paramount's . Please check the opt-in box to acknowledge that you would like to subscribe. Thanks for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox. Sorry! There was an error proce sing your subscription. A standard release of Wilson following this season is practically impo sible. This would result in an astronomical $107M dead-cap charge and, more importantly, an immediate net lo s of $85M, Alex Colome Jersey . The Broncos would literally need to cut almost half their team to stay under the 2023 salary cap. There are multiple ways Denver could reduce immediate lo ses by designating Wilson a post-June 1 release, however. One scenario has the Broncos absorbing a $61M dead-cap hit in 2023.Another, the best-case scenario for cutting Wilson, involves converting 2023 salary to a bonus, exercising an option in the QB's deal, then designating him a post-June 1 release to take roughly a $40M dead-cap hit in 2023, and $67M dead-cap hit in 2024. This would make Wilson's dead-cap hit comparable to that of , whose trade to the last offseason left the paying a record $40.5M for the QB to play elsewhere. This would not immediately save the Broncos any money; in fact, it would still result in a net lo s of about $17M in 2023. But if team bra s, and/or the next coach, truly believes Wilson is unsalvageable, the name of the game may well be admitting the mistake, taking the financial lumps, and trudging forward. It's very po sible the Broncos would wait to decide on a post-June 1 release of Wilson until after June 1. Players can be cut earlier with the designation, but in this case, the new ownership and coaching regime might prefer to spend January-May exploring every alternative: rebuilding the offense for Ru s, evaluating free agent and rookie QBs, praying for another desperate team to call about a trade. If they ultimately determine Wilson must go, swallowing a $17M lo s via post-June 1 release, it's conceivable that other veterans will become cap casualties or trade/restructure candidates, including wide receiver , left tackle , linebacker , cornerback and safety .The absolute dream scenario for the Broncos is another team pursuing Wilson via trade. Yoan Moncada Jersey A post-June 1 trade would instantly save Denver $8M, not to mention free up money down the road. But who's gonna be jumping at the chance to absorb such an expensive deal for potentially damaged goods? It's true that legitimate suitors will likely be hard to come by. But never say never in the NFL, especially a year after the Colts basically advertised their divorce from and still netted a third-round draft pick via trade, and a year after the willingly surrendered three first-rounders, plus $230M guaranteed, for a QB in who hadn't played in more than a year and faced an inevitable suspension.Paton is most likely to give Wilson another year under a fresh staff, then addre s the fork in the road in 2024, when the QB can be cut as a post-June 1 release with no financial penalty other than the dead-cap hit. But he, or whomever is actually calling the shots under new ownership, will almost a suredly listen to any calls that come in before then. Not only that, but the Broncos would probably even offer to eat some of the QB's salary to facilitate a deal, a la the Browns' trade of to the this summer. And if you can't fathom the idea of someone dialing Denver to discu s Ru s, just remember we're only a year removed from other teams reportedly matching the Broncos' offer of multiple Nicky Delmonico Jersey first-rounders to acquire him. Hackett's firing at least hints to the outside world that Wilson's bad debut was a result of a poor setup. And the QB is 34, not 38, in a league where at least 10-12 teams are perpetually eyeing an upgrade at the position.On that off chance, then, which teams might actually consider working with the Broncos to take on Wilson and