Stuck in commercial lease with 2 years left - went fully remote, can I break it?

I publish illustrative scenarios prepared by my practice. All participants and conversations are fictional. The fictional posts are not posts by real users, accounts of client experiences, or reports of actual results.
Illustrative scenario prepared by my practice.
For informational purposes only. Not legal advice.
Hypothetical question

I'm in a tough spot. Signed a 5-year commercial lease for office space in Denver back in 2023 (3200 sq ft, $6800/month). At the time we had 8 employees and were growing.

Fast forward to now - we're down to 5 employees, all working remotely, and we haven't used the office in over 6 months. Paying $81K/year for empty space is killing us. We still have 2 years left on the lease.

I talked to the landlord about early termination and he basically said "not my problem, you signed a contract." The lease has no early termination clause. What are my actual options here? Can I just stop paying and walk away? Find a sublease tenant? I'm desperate.

Illustrative response

Quick update: Sent the landlord an email proposing a $27K buyout (4 months rent) to terminate in 90 days. Also offered to maintain the space and help with showing it to new tenants.

He responded pretty quickly - rejected the buyout but said he's open to me finding a sublease tenant OR he'd consider a higher buyout number. Asked me to submit a formal proposal with financials showing my company's situation.

Progress at least. Going to simultaneously list the space and counter with a $35K buyout offer.