The Denver Broncos head coach, Sean Payton, recently revealed that they are benching their veteran quarterback, Russell Wilson. He won’t be playing the last two games of the season and in his place, Jarrett Stidham, a free-agent pickup, will start.
Change in Denver: Broncos’ HC Sean Payton has informed his team that Jarrett Stidham will start Sunday vs. the Chargers, with Russell Wilson as the backup, per sources.
According to Pro Football Talk, the Broncos quarterback will be released by the team before an additional $37 million in future salary becomes completely guaranteed due to injury.
As per PFT’s Mike Florio, this must happen “between the first day of the waiver period (right after the Super Bowl) and the fifth day of the league year, which begins on March 13.”
The transaction will bring cap charges of $89 million coming from finances previously spent and $39 million fully guaranteed in 2024. The Broncos have two options; they can declare Wilson after June release or they can absorb the full cost in 2024.
His cap for next year is $35.4 million, which is under his current deal with the Broncos and in 2025 it is $55.4 million. Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Dereck Carr also faced a similar situation last year.
