When the Denver Broncos benched quarterback Russell Wilson two weeks ago, it was likely financially motivated (at least in part). If Wilson suffered a serious injury in the final two games of the season, his $37 million salary in 2025 would become guaranteed.
By benching Wilson, the Broncos removed the risk of injury, although coach Sean Payton claimed it was a football decision. Payton suggested turning to Jarrett Stidham could give the offense a spark to close out the 2023 campaign.
Stidham didn’t provide much of a spark. Denver’s offense scored 16 and 17 points with Stidham leading the way, going 1-1 to close out the year. Stidham completed 60.6% of his passes for 496 yards with two touchdowns, one interception and seven sacks.
Was that enough to convince the Broncos he should be QB1 in 2024?
“Look, I don’t get caught up in that,” Stidham said after the team’s season finale. “They see me every day. They know what I can and can’t do, what I’m capable of. My job is to work as hard as possible, be a good teammate, and do my job. So, that’s not really for me to speak on.”
Payton can speak on Stidham’s future, but the coach didn’t offer any big-picture declarations on Sunday afternoon. Denver will review the film of Stidham — and every player on the team — this week.
“Yeah, you evaluate everything and so practice snaps, training camp, preseason, regular season for all these guys,” Payton said. “But this [game] wasn’t about just trying to get a look at Jarrett, this was about trying to win.”
Stidham is set to have a salary cap hit of $7 million next season. The Broncos would save $5 million if they release him, but his cap hit isn’t outrageous by today’s QB market standards, even for a backup.
Like every QB in the league, Stidham wants to start in 2024.
“I’ve said this before — everybody wants to play, everybody wants to be on the field,” Stidham said on Sunday. “I want to be on the field every snap of next year if possible. But like I said, I’m not really focused too much on that. I’ve said it before, those guys see me every day, they know what I’m capable of. I’m just disappointed I didn’t do more to help those guys in the locker room win today. It’s part of it and I’ll get better.”
Denver is expected to release Wilson in March and the QB room will be in flux going into free agency. The Broncos have to climb out of a salary cap hole this spring, so signing a short-term QB in free agency could prove to be difficult. Denver’s most practical plan might be drafting a QB at No. 12 overall and then developing him behind Stidham in 2024.
For now, though, everything is speculation. Time will tell what Payton and Co. have planned at quarterback for 2024 and beyond.
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