Broncos bench Russell Wilson
The Denver Broncos will start Jarrett Stidham at quarterback and move Russell Wilson to the bench for the final two games of the regular season, the team announced Wednesday.
ESPN reported Denver’s first-year head coach Sean Payton met with Wilson on Wednesday morning to inform him of his decision and then told the team. The 35-year-old is guaranteed $37 million for injury for the 2025 season that vests in March, per the report. He signed a five-year, $242.6 million extension following his trade from the Seattle Seahawks in March 2022.
Payton, however, maintained that the decision was made with a focus primarily on this season. “I understand all the speculation and everything that surrounds a move like that,” he said at a post-practice news conference. “I can tell you, look, we’re desperately trying to win. Sure, in our game today, there are economics and all those other things. But the No. 1 push behind this, and it’s a decision I’m making, is to get a spark offensively.”
The relationship between Payton and Wilson has been under the microscope since Payton took the job this year, with the coach saying that Wilson’s private coaches who were in the Denver building during his first season – a disastrous 2022 campaign – would no longer be around. The coach has also expressed public frustration on the sidelines, most recently during a loss to the Detroit Lions on Dec. 16.
Denver lost on Christmas Eve night to the New England Patriots 26-23 and has one victory in its last four games following a five-game winning streak. The 7-8 Broncos have a slim chance of making the playoffs.
Wilson has 3,070 yards through the air while completing 66.4% of his passes with 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions this season.
Stidham last started in 2022, in two games, with the Las Vegas Raiders.