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<\/p>\nThe Denver Broncos\u2019 decision to bench quarterback Russell Wilson in favor of backup Jarrett Stidham was a surprise.<\/p>\n
However, the move was weeks in the making and a financial one that related to a clause in Wilson\u2019s contract regarding a $37 million injury guarantee, according to a report from Bleacher Report\u2019s Jordan Schultz. The Broncos pushed back on that report, saying the decision was football-related with the hope of Stidham providing a spark to a sputtering offense.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The news of Wilson\u2019s benching surfaced Wednesday, but the Broncos had conversations with Wilson on the subject following the team\u2019s 24-9 Week 8 win over Kansas City, according to Schulz.<\/p>\n
The Broncos threatened to bench Wilson for the remainder of the season if he did not defer the date for his injury guarantee for the 2025 season. Wilson\u2019s contract includes a $37 million injury clause for 2025 that becomes fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the 2024 league year in March and is also guaranteed for injury.<\/p>\n
According to the report, the Broncos\u2019 demand \u201cshocked\u201d Wilson and led to a major disagreement on how to move forward. Wilson\u2019s representatives, team management and the NFL Players Association got involved in negotiations that ended with the clause remaining in Wilson\u2019s contract.<\/p>\n
Denver coach Sean Payton said the move was made in an effort to get a win after the Broncos have gone 1-3 in their last four games.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re desperately trying to get a win,\u201d Payton told reporters Wednesday. \u201cSure, in our game today, there are economic and all those other things. But number one, the push behind this \u2013 and it\u2019s a decision I\u2019m making \u2013 is to get a spark offensively.\u201d<\/p>\n
The offense has ranked near the bottom tier of the NFL during the past four games and currently ranks 25th in total offense. Payton said he\u2019s anxious to see what they have in Stidham.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I didn\u2019t feel like he gave us a chance to win, we wouldn\u2019t be making that move,\u201d Payton told reporters.<\/p>\n
Wilson, 35, has bounced back from an atrocious 2022 season to throw 26 touchdown passes and with just eight interceptions in 15 games in 2024, compared to 16 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions in 2022, his first year in Denver.<\/p>\n
He expects to be cut during the offseason, according to a report by The Athletic\u2019s Dianna Russini.<\/p>\n
Wilson, on Wednesday night, made his first public statements since news of his benching broke.<\/p>\n
\u201cGod\u2019s got me,\u201d he posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. \u201cLooking forward to what\u2019s next.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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