Denver Broncos benching Russell Wilson for Jarrett Stidham

The Denver Broncos are reportedly benching quarterback Russell Wilson for the final two games of the regular season. In his place, Jarrett Stidham will start the final two games of the season.

Denver has struggled in recent weeks, going just 1-3 in their last four games. That has made a trip to the playoffs seem like a long shot. Still, this is a move that caught most people off-guard.

For most, this is a surprising move. However, it may be a financially prudent one for the Broncos. Ian Rapoport noted that the move may be to preserve financial flexibility next offseason. He also reported that this was primarily a football decision.

This season, Russell Wilson is completing 66.4% of his passes, with 3,070 yards and 26 touchdowns. He is also the NFL‘s seventh rated passer. Sean Payton told Wilson about the move Wednesday morning before telling the rest of the team.

That financial flexibility was something that Albert Breer clarified, explaining that Denver owes him $39 million in guarantees for 2024. However, holding onto him would mean vesting $37 million for 2025. Basically, if Russell Wilson can’t pass a physical by early March, Denver owes him the $37 million for 2025 no matter what. So, there is a lot of incentive to keep Wilson healthy.

It also helps to read between the lines about the future of the quarterback position in Denver. Russell Wilson likely won’t be the team’s long-term answer at starting quarterback.

“So presuming Russell Wilson is cut, his deal will have cost the Broncos $124 million for two years, when he was already under contract for those years at the time of the trade for $51 million (a $73 million raise),” Breer wrote.

Denver traded Drew Lock, Noah Fant, Shelby Harris, two first round picks, two second round picks, and a fifth round pick for Russell Wilson. Along with Wilson, the Broncos got back a fourth round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Jarrett Stidham has been a backup in the NFL since 2019. This is his first year with the Broncos after previously playing for the New England Patriots and the Las Vegas Raiders. He will get starts against the Los Angeles Chargers and the Kansas City Chiefs.

This is head coach Sean Payton’s first season as the head coach of the Denver Broncos. He is not a part of the group that initially made the decision to go after Russell Wilson when his time with the Seattle Seahawks was coming to an end.