The news came early Wednesday that the Denver Broncos were going to start Jarrett Stidham against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 17, with Russell Wilson being benched.
From there, there was a water spout of information that made it clear the AFC West team does not have plans for Wilson with the franchise.
The next step appears to be Wilson being cut by the Broncos in March.
Wilson is guaranteed $39 million in 2024 whether he is with the team or not, but he also has an additional $37 million that would become guaranteed if he cannot pass a physical in early March.
… The Broncos could designate Wilson as a post-June 1 release after the season and owe $85 million in dead money, spread over two seasons. … Trading Wilson before June 1 would leave the Broncos with a staggering $68 million in dead money next year, unless Denver could convince the acquiring team to pay his $22 million option bonus.
Wideout Jerry Jeudy was caught by surprise.
Jerry Jeudy says he felt the decision to bench Russell Wilson “was a surprise to everybody in our locker room.” … “He (Payton) just told us out of nowhere. So, I was pretty surprised having Russ our starting the quarterback the whole year, then the last 2 games, being a switch.“ pic.twitter.com/3FSYbh3DRo
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) December 28, 2023
Wilson and the Broncos are 7-8 after 15 games. He has completed 66.4% of his passes for 26 touchdowns against 8 interceptions.