The Denver Broncos have benched quarterback Russell Wilson, which has all but confirmed that Wilson will be playing elsewhere next season.
Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports that Wilson is expected to be cut by the Broncos in March. She adds that Wilson has known for about two months that the organization was most likely going to move on from him at the end of the season.
Wilson has $37 million in money that becomes guaranteed in March, so it makes sense that Denver would want to part ways with him by then.
Russini also says that the Broncos spoke to Wilson’s representatives in October and told them that if Wilson did not defer that money, he would lose his starting job and be made inactive for the remainder of the season, which explains his recent benching in favor of Jarrett Stidham.
Denver initially acquired Wilson in a blockbuster trade with the Seattle Seahawks in March 2022, expecting him to transform the franchise.
Instead, Wilson’s first season in the Mile High City was nothing short of a disaster, as he threw 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in what was easily the worst season of his NFL career.
Wilson has rebounded nicely this year, throwing for 3,070 yards, 26 touchdowns and eight picks while completing 66.4 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 98. Most recently, he went 25-for-37 with 238 yards and a couple of touchdowns.
However, as well as Wilson has played, it has not led to much success for the Broncos, who are currently 7-8. In addition, his relationship with first-year head coach Sean Payton has soured to the point that Payton reamed him out on the sideline during Denver’s Week 15 loss to the Detroit Lions.
The Broncos handed Russell Wilson a $245 million contract extension upon acquiring him, so attempting to trade him would almost surely be an exercise in futility. For that reason, releasing him seems to be the best option for Denver moving forward.
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