Broncos reportedly benching Russell Wilson

With two games left in the NFL regular season and the Denver Broncos still technically in the running for a playoff spot, the team is benching quarterback Russell Wilson, according to multiple reports. Backup Jarrett Stidham is Denver’s new starting quarterback.

NFL Media, which first reported that the Broncos were considering the move, said a major motivation is to preserve financial flexibility going forward.

According to Overthecap.com, Wilson has $39 million guaranteed for the 2024 season under the $245 million contract he signed with Denver before the 2022 season. Wilson signed that extension after the Broncos traded five picks (including two first-rounders) and three players to the Seattle Seahawks for the QB in a blockbuster deal in March 2022. According to the contract, an additional $37 million becomes guaranteed if Wilson is still with the Broncos in March 2024 — or if he suffers an injury before then — increasing the likelihood that Denver will trade or cut him before that guarantee takes effect.

The Broncos are also reportedly making the move to evaluate how the team’s offense looks with Stidham under center instead of Wilson.

Moments after the news broke Wednesday morning, “The Herd” host Colin Cowherd pointed to the two-year, $10 million contract the Broncos gave Stidham in the offseason as evidence that Payton was keeping his options open in case he felt like things would not work with Wilson in the long run.

“Sean Payton knew very early this was a weird fit,” Cowherd said. “It’s a personality clash. One guy [Payton] is intense, confrontational, outspoken. Another [Wilson] is highly uber-optimistic, which has turned lots of teammates off through the years. They think it’s phony and cringey. I’m not making those judgments. I know both, the coach really well. He’s an authentic straight shooter, lots of opinions. He’s going to tell you what he thinks. Russell tends to be more laid back in that space.

Broncos bench Russell Wilson for final two games of the season

“The second thing is … Russell Wilson’s career is highlighted by rainbow throws up the sideline and moving around a lot, making plays out of the pocket. But if you watch Russell Wilson in the pocket, I would argue he struggles to see downfield between the hash marks. I saw it again this weekend — Denver’s got very few 20-yard, 25-yard completions. And they have Cortland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy — those are fast guys that can get open. They have very few middle-of-the-field completions. … There are open plays down the middle of the field and I just don’t think [Wilson] sees them.”

FOX Sports NFL analyst James Jones, however, believes Payton took the Denver job intending to do everything he could to help Wilson after a disastrous 2022.

“I truly believe Payton took this job knowing that Russell Wilson was there,” Jones said. “Knowing that, ‘With what I do, with how I develop quarterbacks, I can get Russell Wilson playing at a high level in my system.’ … I think he took this job for Russell Wilson and to get Russell Wilson right.”

What does Russell Wilson’s benching mean for the Broncos?

The Broncos sit at 7-8 and are a long shot for a wild-card spot in the AFC. Their path to the playoffs became much murkier when they lost to the New England Patriots on Christmas Eve. The move to bench Wilson could spell the end of the nine-time Pro Bowler’s time in Denver and pave the way for Payton to bring in his own quarterback during the offseason.

If Denver does in fact move on from Wilson, both Cowherd and Jones believe he will generate interest from some teams, such as the Washington Commanders and Tennessee Titans, given his résumé.

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