Why Are The Broncos Benching Russell Wilson?

Why Are The Broncos Benching Russell Wilson?

Russell Wilson will end his second season with the Denver Broncos riding the bench. Head coach Sean Payton made the big decision Wednesday and will now run with Jarrett Stidham for the rest of 2023.

Over 30 games in the Mile High City, Wilson has an 11-19 record with 42 touchdowns and 19 interceptions. However, there is something more in play here. Why in the world would the Broncos disrespect a future Hall of Famer when they already need a miracle to make it into the playoffs?

Dollars And Sense?

The financials behind the massive contract Denver gave him is a clear factor into why. Trey linked Spotrac’s finer details in his post and I will do the same here:

A Pre March 17th release for Russell Wilson would mean $85M of dead cap ($39M cash) in 2024.

Designating him a Post June 1st release means a $35.4M hit in 2024 ($39M cash), & a $49.6M dead cap hit for 2025.

Either way – this would be an unprecedented release.

— Spotrac (@spotrac) December 27, 2023

Long story short, they would have been in cap hell if Wilson got hurt or they released him before March 17. Either way, there is a massive poison pill they will have to swallow, but this move clearly means the era is over. It’s also worth noting that he has a $37 million guarantee in the offseason if he can’t pass a physical. It somehow could have gotten even worse if he had gotten hurt in the last two games of the season.

This move clearly has financials written all over it. No matter how you cut it, it’s a colossal failure when you consider how much money Denver is still on the hook for:

When the Broncos acquired Russell Wilson (3 players, 2 1st round picks, 2 2nd round picks, 1 5th round pick), he had 2 years, $51M remaining on his contract in 2022 & 2023.

By immediately extending him, Denver has now paid/owes Wilson $124M (including his GTD 2024 salary).

— Spotrac (@spotrac) December 27, 2023

Through all of this, Wilson was not even playing completely terribly. His 26-8 TD-to-INT ratio to go with 3,070 yards made him the seventh-ranked passer in the league this season. Not to mention he is still a top-ten quarterback in fantasy.

Though Denver’s embarrassing loss to the New England Patriots on Christmas Eve was the cherry on top of a completely embarrassing two-year stint. The comedy of errors and crucial mistakes at the worst possible moments led to this point. Regardless, someone on the free agency market could hit it big in 2024.

Revisiting The Russell Wilson Trade

It’s very possible that Russell Wilson has played his final game in a Denver Broncos uniform. The future of the nine-time Pro Bowler will be one of the stories of the offseason.

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