It seems that the Denver Broncos have had about all they can take of the Russell Wilson Experience.
According to a report by Adam Schefter at ESPN, head coach Sean Payton has decided to bench Wilson for his team’s last two games of the 2023 season and will be starting Jarrett Stidham instead against the Los Angeles Chargers this week.
Change in Denver: Broncos’ HC Sean Payton has informed his team that Jarrett Stidham will start Sunday vs. the Chargers, with Russell Wilson as the backup, per sources.
With a 1-3 record in the last four games, Denver is looking to spark its offense and see what it has in… pic.twitter.com/P6X2DO0jT7
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 27, 2023
It’s a pretty stunning development for a quarterback who was widely recognized as one of the league’s best only a couple of seasons ago. Wilson bombed in 2022, but his stats were all far better this year under the direction of Payton. However, there has been some public friction between these two and it sounds like Payton is not at all committed to Wilson being his quarterback of the future in Denver.
That’s a bummer for the Broncos, because whether they like it or not they still owe Russ a couple truckloads’ worth of money. Wilson still has five years and about $250 million left on his contract. Obviously, they won’t be paying all of that – but cutting him will come at a severe cost. If they were to cut Wilson before June 1 it would cost them $85 million in dead money next year alone.
This latest turn in the saga should be the final word on the subject: Seattle won the Russell Wilson trade and it wasn’t close.
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