I don't think they cut Wilson but I definitely want to bring in a rookie to compete/develop. I think Wilson is on the roster next year but I am not sure if he's the starter...probably is though. But after next year Stidham's deal is up and if they cut ties with Wilson at that point then the QB room is entirely empty.
I do have a lot of confidence in Payton though......I mean I look at Wilson and sometimes wonder if Payton would rather have Taysom Hill back there or Russell Wilson...at the end of the day, I am not sure there's a hell of a lot of difference between the two except having like $200M more in cap room to spend on the rest of the team if you have Taysom.....and I'm not suggesting they go get Taysom but this season I've grown super confident that Payton could find a kid and make him into a decent QB for 1/4 of the cost.
No way he should want Hill as a starter. The loyalty to players is something to consider but if you blow 15m of cap space on a gadget QB that's professional malpractice. I mean how much would he have gotten elsewhere? Stidham at 4m is about as much as I could suggest paying a non starting QB.
And it's the NFL, there is always competition for jobs. Don't even need to bring a guy in the building, guys put stuff on tape like Dobbs and others will trade for it. The timing is a little off on bringing in a serious contender for the job. They aren't eating 85m or 49m of dead cap space. Beyond that it's possible they cut Wilson. So maybe next off-season they consider drafting someone relatively high and have him as QB2 for a season and let Stidham go. This year it's iffy but a lower round pick isn't unrealistic.
You do have to be careful because not sure they want to have a 3rd QB taking a roster spot but if you draft a 3rd or 4th rounder, good luck getting him through waivers and onto the PS. I'd say a 7th or UDFA that fits Payton mold is best option and give him time to marinate. DiNucci ain't it.