Russell Wilson was officially benched by the Denver Broncos after a surprising 26-23 loss against the New England Patriots on Christmas Eve. Now, Jarred Stidham will be the starting quarterback for the remainder of the season.
Though the Broncos have been struggling recently on offense, Wilson’s numbers are solid compared to other players at the position. 26 touchdowns, 3070 yards, 66.4% completion percentage and only eight interceptions.
However, Sean Payton argued that the move is to find an immediate spark on offense following many reports in the NFL which pointed out this was clearly a decision to save money. If Russell Wilson doesn’t pass a physical in March of 2024, the quarterback will get an additional $37 million guaranteed.
“I understand all the speculation and everything that surrounds a move like that. 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.”
Report: Russell Wilson will be released by the Denver Broncos
Furthermore, according to a report from Dianna Russini, the Denver Broncos will move on from Russell Wilson in 2024. It won’t matter the massive hit in the salary cap for a player who won’t be on the field.
As a consequence, the debate has started to determine if this is one of the worst trades in NFL history. Before the start of the 2022 season, the Seahawks traded Russell Wilson and a 2022 fourth-round draft pick to the Denver Broncos.
In exchange, Seattle got a 2022 first-round pick, a 2022 second-round pick, a 2022 fifth-round pick, a 2023 first-round pick, a 2023 second-round pick, tight end Noah Fant, defensive end Shelby Harris and quarterback Drew Lock.