Sean Payton and the Broncos reportedly ‘threatened’ Russell Wilson after ‘mega’ win over the Chiefs which ‘shocked him’ leading to multiple disputes
Wilson was told that he had to make changes to his contract right after the Chiefs win, which he did not go through with.
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Sean Payton and Russell Wilson (Image via ESPN)
The Denver Broncos reportedly gave Russell Wilson an ultimatum about his contract following the Kansas City Chiefs win in October. Wilson chose to ignore the warning, and on Wednesday, they decided to bench him for backup Jarrett Stidham.
According to reports from the NFL networks, Andrew Siciliano and Denver head coach Sean Payton believe that Stidham gives the Broncos the best chance to play in the playoffs in the new year. Payton said,
This statement from Payton doesn’t make much sense. Their team was playing impressive football, winning five straight games before two back-to-back losses against the Lions and the Patriots.
In those games, Wilson has been their main driving force. The nine-time Pro Bowler is the seventh-highest-rated quarterback among eligible QBs in 2023.
On the other hand, Stidham has yet to start a game for the Broncos since his offseason move from the Raiders. Whether he makes a good impact on the team remains to be seen, but telling Wilson to recheck his contract just after a win is something unheard of.
Denver gave the Super Bowl a 5-year, $265 million deal, scooping him away from the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for two first-round picks, two second-round picks, a fifth-round pick, and QB Drew Lock. But 20 months later, they decide to backtrack on their own and ask Wilson to make adjustments to his deal.
Why did the Denver Broncos decide to bench Russell Wilson?
Jordan Schultz of the Bleacher Report gave a detailed analysis of Russell Wilson’s benching from the Denver Broncos‘ starting roster. According to Schultz, the Broncos “threatened” the 35-year-old to remove the injury guarantee from his contract weeks ago. They are trying to make some financial changes before the 2024 NFL season begins.
The reason for Wilson being benched is to avoid losing him to a long-term injury. If he fails to report before March 17th, then it will trigger a $37 million guarantee in his clause. Even so, his contract will hit a dead cap of $85 million either way.
The Broncos approached Wilson two days after their October 29 upset win over the Kansas City Chiefs and told him he would be made inactive for the rest of the season if he did not adjust his contract and defer the injury guarantee trigger date that he has for 2025. Wilson has $37 million in injury guarantees for 2025 that will become guaranteed no matter what on the fifth day of the 2024 league year in March.Schultz wrote
What’s even more surprising is the fact that the Broncos shut out a 24-9 win over the Chiefs. Wilson threw three touchdowns on 12 completions, reminding everyone that he was still a Super Bowl winner.
He has started all 15 games this season and has completed 66.4 percent of his passes for 3,070 yards with 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
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Ishan Misra
(3186 Articles Published)