In today’s unexpected turn of events, Zach Wilson set the Empire Stadium at Mile High on fire. The Broncos won their third preseason game and the urgency to decide on the 53-man roster is as high as ever. Whatever the deciding criteria is, one thing is for sure, the Denver team will not repeat past mistakes and overpay someone like they did Russell Wilson. At least that’s what Sean Payton thinks.

Zac Stevens, the DNVR Sports beat reporter, wrote to X, “Sean Payton said money will not be a factor in deciding who the Broncos will keep at QB. Added they have all the necessary money.” The 39-12 win against the Arizona Cardinals has impressed Payton so much that he sees all the 3 quarterbacks making the 53-man cut.

About Payton’s stance, Stevens further noted on X, “Sean Payton on the Broncos’ QBs on the final 53-man roster: ‘I see all three making it.'” All three might make the cut indeed. That’s because Bo Nix has already proven himself in the past two games and now it was Zach Wilson’s turn and he didn’t disappoint.

Wilson played the majority of the game and completed 16 of his 25 passes and threw two touchdowns without getting intercepted once! But that’s not all because Wilson also scored a rushing touchdown and had 2 carries over 22 yards. However, he did take 4 sacks in the process.

While Sean Payton is helping Zach Wilson revive his career, the team is facing cap space problems after Russell Wilson left the team with a record-breaking $85 million in dead money. Obviously, there are concerns about the team being able to accommodate three quarterbacks after the Wilson debacle. The media bothered Payton about it and he assured everyone that all three QBs will make it to the 53-man roster.

“We’ve got enough money to … I understand the question,” Payton said, per ESPN. “We feel comfortable with those three quarterbacks. I think I’ve told you already I see the three of them making it.” The quarterback situation is clear now, but do you know who else might make it to the roster? The LB Levelle Bailey had a stellar 94-yard pick-six that had the whole stadium going crazy.

While we’re on the topic of money, let’s take a look at the Broncos’ cap situation.

Sean Payton’s Broncos backed to a corner after trading Russell Wilson

The trade was harsh, to say the least. The Broncos paid nearly $38 million to Russell Wilson to leave the team. The QB left the Broncos with $85 million in dead money. But as it happens, the Broncos have curbed it a bit. Per Spotrac, the Broncos have $67.8 million in dead money, but have $5.9 million in cap space, ranking 30 in the league.

But there’s some relaxation there because when the Jets traded Zach Wilson to the Broncos, they said that they would play a part of his $5.5 million salary. Also, the Broncos signed Jarrett Stidham to a 2-year $10 million deal when he turned a free agent, while Bo Nix is signed to a 4-year $18 million deal.

Now, Bo Nix will be the starting QB and will open the season against the Seattle Seahawks while Jarrett Stidham is listed as QB2, followed by Zach Wilson. However, after watching today’s game, Stidham and Wilson might switch spots.

 If you want to find out Chris Gronkowski’s take on his NFL journey, and other things, check out the Dual Threat Podcast with BG12.