Sean Payton (left) talking to Russell Wilson (right).DENVER, COLORADO – OCTOBER 29: Russell Wilson #3 of the Denver Broncos talks with head coach Sean Payton of the Denver Broncos during the fourth quarter of a game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Empower Field At Mile High on October 29, 2023 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

An interesting trade scenario has the Denver Broncos taking a chance on a former first-round pick to replace Russell Wilson at quarterback.

The Broncos are widely expected to release Wilson and start afresh at quarterback. Wilson was benched for the team’s final two regular season games after refusing to adjust the injury guarantees in his contract.

That served as a strong indicator that the Broncos are pulling the plug on the Wilson project despite a quality bounce-back year. Assuming that happens, could Denver turn to an AFC rival for a potential replacement at QB?

Sayre Bedinger of the Broncos’ Predominantly Orange site from FanSided proposed the idea of the Broncos taking a flier on New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones, who’s widely expeced to be traded or cut this offseason:

“Say what you will about Mac Jones, but his ability to get rid of the ball quickly and play in an offense that is predicated on rhythm, timing, and tempo?

Well, that screams “Sean Payton” to me. I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest if the Denver Broncos made a move for Mac Jones and put him in a “better” overall situation.”

After earning a Pro Bowl nod in his rookie season, Jones’ play completely unraveled over the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

Of course, it’s hard to fully blame Jones following Bill Belichick’s awful decision to make Matt Patricia and Joe Judge the co-offensive play-callers in 2022. Also, Belichick didn’t exactly supply his QB with the best supporting cast.

The Broncos hold the No. 12 pick in April’s draft and could look to select a quarterback then. But a QB guru like Payton may ultimately decide to take a chance on a young signal-caller like Jones and see if he can help the Alabama product regain his star-like form.