The Denver Broncos will call upon a former Auburn quarterback to lead its offense for the final two games of the regular season.
Ian Rappoport of NFL Network reported Wednesday that the Broncos will bench quarterback Russell Wilson for its final two games, and will tab former Tiger [autotag]Jarrett Stidham[/autotag] as the starter beginning Sunday when the Broncos host the Los Angeles Chargers at Empower Field in Denver.
Stidham, who is in his 5th NFL season, is set to make his third start as a professional quarterback. During the 2022 season with the Las Vegas Raiders, he made two starts. Unfortunately, the Raiders dropped both games that Stidham was the starting quarterback.
According to Jon Heath of Broncos Wire, the decision to bench Wilson for Stidham is due mainly to economic reasons.
If he’s still on the roster, Wilson has $37 million worth of his 2025 salary set to become guaranteed on March 17. If the quarterback suffers a serious injury before that date, the $37 million will become locked in for 2025. To avoid the possibility of an injury guaranteeing that $37 million, the Broncos have benched Wilson.
In 14 games, Stidham has completed 77-of-131 passes for 926 yards and six touchdowns, throwing seven interceptions. He has played in one game this season for Denver, but has not recorded a stat.
Sources: The #Broncos are, in fact, benching Russell Wilson for the final two games, preserving their financial flexibility for the offseason.
Jarrett Stidham starts. pic.twitter.com/8sh7ORek5Q
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 27, 2023
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