Russell Wilson of the Denver Broncos
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - Russell Wilson (#3) of the Denver Broncos celebrates after defeating the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Michael Reaves/Getty Images

The Denver Broncos will have to make a hard decision soon involving Russell Wilson.

With their NFL campaign off to a floundering start, the Broncos may need to accept that Wilson may not be the right quarterback to lead the team to success.

Denver has managed to rack up a 5-16 win-loss record with the nine-time Pro Bowler calling the plays, which may convince the Broncos to pull the plug on Russell Wilson, Dianna Russini of The Athletic suggested.

For the current NFL season, the Broncos have hardly gained ground. They are 1-5 thus far. With two more games before the October 15 NFL trade deadline, the chances of seeing Russell Wilson's name in trade chatter is likely.

The gamble on Wilson has not paid off. It cost the Broncos two first-round picks packaged alongside Drew Lock, Shelby Harris, and Noah Fant in 2022. Aside from that, the 34-year-old got a hefty $250 million contract extension from Denver at the start of the 2022 NFL season, SI.com reported.

Although Wilson has performed better under Broncos coach Sean Payton, this has not translated into wins. Their offense has not done well either, ranking 21st in total offense and 19th in scoring offense.

Payton needs a fresh start

A potential Russell Wilson trade would give Payton a fresh start and acquire a quarterback who will likely be part of a full-scale rebuild, in the opinion of three-time Super Bowl champion Michael Lombardi when he spoke on Denver Broncos 365.

"Sean Payton knows without a shadow of a doubt that he is not going forward with Russell Wilson," the 64-year-old opined.