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With two games left in the NFL regular season and the Denver Broncos still technically in the running for a playoff spot, the team is benching quarterback Russell Wilson, according to multiple reports. Backup Jarrett Stidham is Denver’s new starting quarterback.
NFL Media, which first reported that the Broncos were considering the move, said a major motivation is to preserve financial flexibility going forward.
According to Overthecap.com, Wilson has $39 million guaranteed for the 2024 season under the $245 million contract he signed with Denver before the 2022 season. Wilson signed that extension months after the Broncos traded five picks (including two first-rounders) and three players to the Seattle Seahawks for the QB in a blockbuster deal. According to the contract, an additional $37 million becomes guaranteed if Wilson is still with the Broncos in March 2024 — or if he suffers an injury before then — increasing the likelihood that Denver will trade or cut him before that guarantee takes effect.
The Broncos also reportedly are making the move because they want to evaluate how the team’s offense looks without Wilson.
The Broncos sit at 7-8 and are a long shot for a wild-card spot in the AFC. Their path to the playoffs became much murkier when they lost to the New England Patriots on Christmas Eve. The move to bench Wilson could spell the end of the nine-time Pro Bowler’s time in Denver and pave the way for first-year head coach Sean Payton to bring in his own quarterback during the offseason.
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Publish date : 2023-12-27 17:53:32
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