Aaron Rodgers comments on Russell Wilson situation with Denver Broncos

During this week’s appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, star QB Aaron Rodgers took up for a fellow elder quarterback, Russell Wilson, amid a tumultuous dispute with the Broncos.

To refresh everyone, Wilson was benched with two games to play following Denver’s loss to the Patriots, which dropped the team to 7-8 on the year and saddled them with slim-to-none playoff chances. The move seemed bizarre since Wilson is the franchise guy and had led a much better season this year than last. What’s more, the team had a small shot at the postseason when he was benched.

However, the move makes total sense when you look at the financials. Wilson signed the largest guaranteed deal in NFL history at the time, which included an important injury clause. Right now, Wilson is assured next year’s salary if he’s cut after this season, but if he suffers an injury and doesn’t recover before the beginning of the new league year in March, he is then guaranteed both his 2024 AND 2025 salaries.

By benching him now, Denver can avoid that potential financial catastrophe and keep him healthy so they can cut him at the mere price of one year’s salary this offseason. Though, they won’t admit that’s why he got benched; and instead, Sean Payton said he wanted to change up the lineup and give someone else a try at QB after a recent rough stretch.

Wilson says he was benched strictly due to the contract and the team tried to renegotiate his injury clause to allow him to keep starting. But Wilson and his side declined the new proposal, so Denver benched him.

On the McAfee Show, Aaron Rodgers came to the defense of his longtime rival, noting the craziness of what the Broncos are pulling over on Wilson.

“You know, the team would probably say, ‘Oh, we’re just trying to get him to, you know, move the date on the injury clause or whatever.’ It’s so crazy to threaten, ‘we’re going to sit you if you don’t do this.'”

He went on to say:

“Look, the NFL is a great profession but it’s a tough business and this kind of stuff is more commonplace than you would think. Obviously, we’re talking about a premier player here, and some bizarre circumstances.”

Rodgers is sympathetic to Wilson and proud of him for facing the music and handling this ordeal with class on his end.

“I think everyone can look at this objectively, where Russ probably wasn’t Sean’s first choice. My heart actually goes out to Russ for dealing with this. Say whatever you want about him, I think he’s handled this pretty well. I definitely applaud him for speaking on it, because it’s a tough situation and it’s pretty scandalous they would do that.”

Except, the decision makes total sense from the team side. Wilson has that enormous injury kicker in his contract, where if he gets hurt, his 2024 AND 2025 salaries become automatically guaranteed.

For one of the highest contracts in NFL history, plus the assets given away to get him, Wilson has extraordinarily underperformed with an 11-19 record as the Bronco starter. Now, Denver is simply trying to cut its losses — next year’s salary — and move on from Wilson before he gets injured and is then guaranteed roughly $76 million dollars over the next two seasons rather than slightly under 40 for one.

Sportico believes the threat of a lawsuit is likely why Payton used the language he did, saying that Wilson’s benching for Stidham was “strictly” based on what he “believes gives us a chance to win.” If he flat-out admitted that Wilson’s benching was contractually motivated, Denver could come under fire for making a decision in bad faith based on financial motivations over what’s best for the football team.

Denver could argue, though, that saving nearly $40 million bucks in future salary cap space is a better move long-term for the franchise than starting an underperforming quarterback for two more weeks in a season that was just about over.