Broncos Benching Ex-Seahawks QB Russell Wilson Final Two Games

With the playoffs now out of the picture, the Denver Broncos may not be sold on Russell Wilson as their quarterback beyond 2023 as evidenced by a potential decision to bench him for the final two games of the season.

Less than two years after trading a boatload of draft picks to the Seattle Seahawks for Russell Wilson, the Denver Broncos may be readying to move on from the high-priced veteran quarterback this offseason.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Broncos coach Sean Payton informed his team that Jarrett Stidham will start the final two games in place of Wilson to see what they have in the former Auburn star. In a corresponding report, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport pointed to Wilson's $37 million guarantee looming in March as a primary reason for the decision to ensure he doesn't get injured before then.

Statistically, Wilson has had a strong bounce back season for the Broncos, throwing 26 touchdowns compared to only eight interceptions while completing north of 66 percent of his pass attempts and orchestrating four game-winning drives. However, he has been sacked 45 times and two weeks ago, Payton could be seen lighting into the quarterback on the sideline, suggesting there was growing tension between them.

After failing to lead Denver to the playoffs in his first season teamed up with Payton, the cost for cutting ties with Wilson would be unprecedented. Per OverTheCap.com, releasing him before June 1 would result in a $49.6 million dead cap charge next season. With the team already expected to be close to $20 million in the red salary cap-wise, that would be a crippling price tag from a roster building standpoint.

With the two appearing to be at odds in recent weeks, coach Sean Payton has made the decision to bench Russell Wilson in the Broncos final two games / © Isaiah J. Downing, USA TODAY

However, as has been speculated since Payton took the job replacing Nathaniel Hackett last spring, many believe the former Saints coach wants a quarterback of his own to run his system. With him and Wilson struggling to mesh and the Broncos likely to finish under the .500 mark again, he may be able to talk the front office's brass into making a historic move unloading the veteran signal caller despite the obvious cost.

If Stidham is able to play well down the stretch and spark Denver's offense, Payton will have even more ammunition to work with to facilitate a move few could have anticipated when the organization signed Wilson to a five-year extension immediately after acquiring him from the Seahawks.

When that trade went down on March 8, 2022, while they gave up two first-round picks and two-second round picks as part of the deal, many believed the Broncos orchestrated a steal landing Wilson, who would give the franchise their first true franchise quarterback since Peyton Manning retired. On the flip side, the Seahawks were left with Geno Smith and Drew Lock, who arrived as part of the trade package for Wilson, as the only quarterbacks on the roster with a major rebuild on tap.

But two years later, the Seahawks have maintained stability under center with Smith, who won Comeback Player of the Year last season and has thrown 51 touchdown passes in two seasons as the starter. Meanwhile, general manager John Schneider turned a king's ransom of draft picks into cornerback Devon Witherspoon, tackle Charles Cross, and edge rusher Boye Mafe, who have already emerged as cornerstones of an ascending young team on the cusp of a second straight playoff berth.

In addition, Lock led Seattle to a comeback victory over the Eagles two weeks ago and tight end Noah Fant has been a solid contributor catching passes from both quarterbacks, further swaying the trade in Schneider's favor.

Before moving on from Wilson, Seattle appears to have won the blockbuster trade by a landslide and then some. If Denver ultimately does decide to jump ship and move on from him before his extension even begins, after failing to make the playoffs once with him in uniform, it would join the Cowboys' heist trading away Hershel Walker as one of the most lopsided deals in NFL history.

Time will tell if the Broncos go that route, but the fact that the organization has made the choice to sit Wilson and keep him bubble wrap for the final two games suggests Payton, general manager George Paton, and other key decision makers have had serious discussions about jettisoning him this spring. If they truly believed he was 100 percent part of the future game plan, they wouldn't be concerned about an injury guarantee and he'd be under center to close out the season.

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