ENGLEWOOD • When the Broncos signed Russell Wilson to his $245 million deal Sept. 1, few thought they’d be trying to get out of it.

The Broncos thought they had their quarterback of the future. And Wilson thought he found the place he’d retire. Now, a little over three months later, many are wondering how Denver can get out of the five-year extension without setting the franchise back several years, which they may have already done with signing Wilson.

Wilson is having the worst season of his career. He’s on pace to throw his fewest touchdown passes, have his lowest completion percentage and post his lowest quarterback rating in his 11-year career. The Broncos are hopeful it’s an aberration, but it’s left Broncos Country wondering if the 34-year-old quarterback is washed.

“I don’t even need to respond to that,” Wilson said. “At the end of the day, I know who I am as a player. I feel better than ever. I’ve been getting better mentally and physically every day. Obviously, I’ve had some tough stuff this year with the shoulder and lat, but you battle through it, you play through it, and you play ball. We have a long way to go.”

The Broncos do have several options with Wilson’s contract that would allow them to cut Wilson over the next few years. In 2023, it’s highly unlikely they let Wilson go — one, because it could cost them $107 million in dead money and two, because there is still belief in the building he can turn things around.

But in 2024, the Broncos have options. And that’s when Denver will have to make a decision due to Wilson’s injury-only guaranteed money in 2025. If Wilson is still with the Broncos in 2025, there are few options that make sense financially for Denver to release him, which is why 2024 is the target year and why his performance in 2023 will likely decide his future. And if Wilson is bad again in 2023, it at least sets the Broncos up well for the 2024 NFL Draft, which is highly-anticipated for quarterbacks.

According to Overthecap, the Broncos could exercise Wilson’s 2024 option bonus and have a post-june 1 designation, which would mean $35.4 million dead money in 2024 and $49.6M dead money in 2025. That’s obviously not ideal, but it would allow the Broncos to reset.

The reality, though, is the Broncos are still all-in on Wilson, and he has the leverage moving forward. And don’t get your hopes up on a trade, as that’s highly unlikely with the way Wilson is playing and the money he’s owed.

“I’m not concerned,” Broncos GM George Paton said Oct. 27. “We’re in it for the long haul with Russ, not the first seven games. We believe in Russ, and I believe in Russ. We just need to play better on offense. The timing, the rhythm — we need an identity. We really don’t have an identity on offense, and I think that comes with time. Hopefully, it comes soon.”

The Broncos are in it for the “long haul” which is why they will likely spend this offseason re-shaping their team, from coaches to players. Paton traded outside linebacker Bradley Chubb to Miami so they could get help in the draft — assuming he drafts an offensive lineman or a skill player with San Francisco’s first-round pick.

And it would shock no one if Paton moves on from coach Nathaniel Hackett after the season, as the one-year experiment has seemingly failed. Maybe he hires Cowboys defensive coordinator and former Seahawks defensive coordinator (2013-2014) Dan Quinn, who wanted the job a year ago and is familiar with Wilson. And maybe Quinn brings former Seahawks offensive coordinator (2018-2020) and current Cowboys offensive analyst Brian Schottenheimer with him — Wilson statistically had some of his best seasons with Schottenheimer in Seattle.

For now, though, the Broncos are stuck with Wilson. And while few outside the organization believe he can move things in the right direction, there is still a hope he can. And, honestly, they need him to.

“I’m excited to be here for a long time and for us to turn this thing around,” Wilson said. “The great thing is that we have amazing teammates, amazing guys, amazing players in that locker room and guys that are really working their butts off every day, no matter what the circumstances are. That’s what being a professional is about.”