I'm happy that you started this tread...as at some point we have to stop talking about Baker - and Watson to a certain degree - and set our sites on the team and its future.

We have gone "all-in" right now. The investment in $$$, draft capital and credibility only makes sense if the FO thinks we have a window of opportunity that we could not delay in crawling through. I think that to be a huge mistake - not because of either QB but - because of what surrounds the QB position. We have ??? all over the place - including those with either QB. I'll get to that later.

Baker might not (have been) be "good-enough" or healed-up enough...Watson might get suspended for darn near 1/2 the season. But 2022 will be looking like a "tank" season if Watson gets the 6-8 game suspension. (Inadvertently tanking for Houston to get a great, extra #1 pick...Brissett isn't leading any team to a winning stretch.) If Watson gets 8 games, we made a monumental commitment to the "window" and simultaneously tossed year #1 out the window...that window closes a bit as contracts burn another year, players get older, Watson's cap hit grows (with MGs) and fans get more impatient.

The $$$ commitment is beyond substantial...forget the $$$ amount though...that bogey is GUARANTEED. We are tied to DW for the next 5 years - and year #1 might just be a tank year. And it is far from just the $$$ commitment...

Three 1sts...two 3rds...a 4th. Wow...just...wow. It is obvious that the FO did not want to run it back with Baker another year. They didn't want to waste another year on a guy who they don't believe in. No problem...maybe they are correct. Yet if Watson gets a season-crushing, 6-8 game suspension (remember, we were only a win or two from the division championship last year), we are STILL wasting another year. And significant draft capital was/is also wasted.

The hindsight projection of running it back with Baker in '22 on the CHANCE he really can be the guy in what is likely to now STILL be a wasted year is not so outrageous....then pile on the $$$ and the draft capital and it's hard not to shake one's head over that decision.

While I'm at with the hindsight projection, did the FO consider that with the likelihood that '22 is likely a wasted year anyway, could they have deployed something less than three 1sts...two 3rds...a 4th to get "their" guy in the '23 draft? My first thought is "no" the window is now...but year #1 of the DW window is already (IMO) shut...and the $$$ commitment is GUARANTEED.

Credibility with the fans is always fickle and fungible. There are bad actors in any profession. I'm not getting on a soapbox here about the allegations against DW. He's not going to cause me to quit being a fan. I'm not happy about it, but I can't change it. Credibility with other vets (aka potential free agents) is another "item". The FO has done a great job in recent years by "accommodating" guys who they don't want anymore (or can no longer have). But...love him or hate him...they did Baker dirty. Aging, serviceable vets aren't going to overlook that.

The Broncos swung for the fences with Wilson. Their window is NOW. They have weapons (real ones) and a stout defense. They don't have a vaunted OLine...but neither do we except on paper and IF several things fall juuuust right (we have terrific Guards and good guys elsewhere...but nothing special outside the Gs). Our window still has serious issues at WR, DT, DE - we need (4) new starters right there...(4) with no 1st Rd picks for (3) seasons to snag that top DE cornerstone-type guy.

We were a game or two from winning the division last year. Our division-leader went to the SB and we beat them twice - once with starters playing and once with backups playing. The move for Watson can only be described as being "ALL-IN"...expectations are - and should be - ridiculously high...yet year #1 is likely a waste. There is a lot to unwind in this thing...and that's without regard to the actual play of either QB.