The Russell Wilson era in Denver has been a roller coaster, but it seems that it will be coming to an end as the Broncos benched Wilson ahead of Week 17 against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Head coach Sean Payton informed Denver’s players that backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham will start against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 17.
Russell Wilson Benched
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the news on Wednesday morning of Wilson’s benching. While Wilson has played better under Payton in 2023 than he did under former Broncos head coach and offensive play-caller Nathaniel Hackett in 2022, the team is still struggling.
The Broncos are 16th in the league in scoring (21.8 points per game), 20th on third down (36.7%), 31st in goal-to-go situations (53.6%), and 25th in passing (187.5 yards per game).
The team is hoping that the move to Stidham also could provide an offensive spark that Denver has desperately needed. The Broncos (7-8) still have an outside chance at the postseason but have lost three of their past four games.
“Obviously it’s difficult and all of us feel like, ‘Man, we didn’t do well enough,'” Payton said. “But one of the things we saw when we signed Stidham in the offseason is not only film from preseason games but regular-season games. He’s a guy that I’m anxious to see play.”
Wilson, 35, took to social media later to say he was “looking forward to what’s next” in his career.
God’s got me.
Looking forward to what’s next.— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) December 28, 2023
Part of the reason for Wilson’s benching could be financial reasons.
Wilson’s five-year, $245 million deal included $125 million fully guaranteed at signing. His base salaries in 2022, 2023, and 2024 were guaranteed, but his $37 million salary in 2025 won’t become guaranteed until the fifth day of the 2024 league year.
If Wilson were injured over the season’s final two games and could not pass a physical next March, the Broncos would be on the hook for that $37 million. Placing him on the bench to close the campaign eliminates that possibility.
Payton denied the idea that the team was trying to follow the money with the move.
“I understand all the speculation and everything that surrounds a move like that, but I can tell you, look, we’re desperately trying to win,” Payton said. “Sure, in our game there are economics and all those other things, but the No. 1 push behind this, and it’s a decision I’m making, is to get a spark offensively.”
Denver Broncos star Jerry Jeudy had faint praise for the team’s newest starting quarterback Stidham after Wednesday’s practice.
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“He’s a great passer. He throws a pretty ball,” Jeudy told reporters on Wednesday. “Great at anticipating routes. You know he do it all as a quarterback — what you need from a quarterback, he does it all.”
Per The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, Wilson expects to be released by the Broncos in March, a fate he’s been resigned to for “almost two months.”
Denver gave up a haul to acquire Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks in 2022, sacrificing first, second, and fifth-round picks in 2022, first and second-round choices in 2023, QB Drew Lock, TE Noah Fant, and DT Shelby Harris to land Wilson and a 2022 fourth-rounder.
If Wilson is cut next year, he’ll become a free agent for the first time in his career. He’d join a list of free-agent quarterbacks scheduled to include Kirk Cousins, Baker Mayfield, Jacoby Brissett, and Gardner Minshew II.
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