Denver Broncos Quarterback Russell Wilson To Sit Out Final Two Games, Likely To Be Cut After Season

If the Broncos cut Wilson, they will still have to pay him $85 million.

The Denver Broncos have informed quarterback Russell Wilson that he will be benched for the final two games of the regular season, and he is expected to be cut by the team next March.

The Athletic reports Wilson has known of the Broncos’ intention to cut him after the season for two months. According to a person close to Wilson, the Broncos reached out to his representatives following their win against the Kansas City Chiefs on Oct. 29 and told them Wilson would lose the starting job and would be inactive for the rest of the season if he did not defer the injury guarantee trigger date that he has for 2025.

Russell Wilson is expecting to be cut by the Denver Broncos in March, per league sources. For almost two months, the quarterback has been starting knowing the organization was most likely going to move on him from after this season.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) December 28, 2023

Wilson signed a five-year, $245 million contract with the Broncos in September 2022 after he was traded from the Seattle Seahawks to the Broncos. The former N.C. State and Wisconsin product has $37 million in injury guarantees for 2025 that will become guaranteed on the fifth day of the 2024 league year in March.

If the Broncos cut Wilson, it will mean he didn’t play a single snap for the team under the extension but will still be paid $85 million by the Broncos.

Wilson and the Broncos struggled at the beginning of the season, getting off to a 1-5 start; however, they turned things around, winning five in a row before losing three of their last four. The Broncos are still in playoff contention, but by benching Wilson, they are essentially punting on the season to save money.

Additionally, the relationship between Wilson and Broncos head coach Sean Payton has been contentious from the start and hit a tipping point when Payton yelled at Wilson on the sidelines following an offsides penalty in their 42-17 loss to the Detroit Lions on Dec. 17. Wilson will finish the season passing for 3,524 yards, 16 TDs, 11 interceptions, and a career-low 84.4 passer rating.

Jarrett Stidham, who was taken in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, will now take over for Wilson. He has made just two NFL starts in five years, throwing for 656 yards with four TDs and three picks, resulting in an 89.2 passer rating.

“We need a spark. We need something right now,” Payton said, according to The Athletic. “We’ll handle the long term when we get there.”