Wednesday was a whirlwind at Denver Broncos HQ as head coach Sean Payton announced his decision to bench veteran quarterback Russell Wilson. Jarrett Stidham will start Week 17's home tilt vs. the Los Angeles Chargers.
Multiple other reports of swirled since, including one by Jordan Schultz that the Broncos threatened to bench Wilson if he didn't restructure the injury guarantees in his contract, as well as another from Dianna Russini, who revealed that the 12th-year quarterback expects Denver to cut him in March.
Wednesday is the day that Wilson, as the Broncos' starting quarterback, meets with the media each week. But since he was demoted that morning, he was not allowed to take the podium, watching Stidham take his place there, too.
Aside from Wilson liking several tweets, which seemed to corroborate the reports mentioned above on some level, the nine-time Pro Bowler hasn't spoken or recorded a video message to be posted on social media. However, he did break a silence of sorts by sending his own tweet on Wednesday.
"God’s got me. Looking forward to what’s next," Wilson tweeted.
In a classic passive-aggressive statement, Wilson's missive communicated his disappointment in being benched while also hinting at his expectation of something new coming next. I.E.: his next NFL home.
And make no mistake; Wilson's days as the starting quarterback in Denver are over. Call it the end of an era or the end of an 'error,' but it's over.
The Broncos will likely try to trade Wilson before outright cutting him, but that albatross of a contract will weigh down his value much like it has the team's salary cap. Wilson is almost certainly going to be released ahead of the March 18 deadline that would guarantee his 2024 salary ($37 million) if he's still on the Broncos roster.
It's unfortunate how things played out. Broncos Country will always be left to wonder what could have been if Wilson doesn't land in Denver with Nathaniel Hackett as his head coach and play-caller.
Many of the issues Wilson has displayed as a Bronco were apparent throughout his Seattle Seahawks career, but they were exacerbated to the nth degree under Hackett. It's safe to say that combined with the unprecedented level of media vitriol Russ endured, Hackett broke the veteran quarterback.
Payton was supposed to 'fix' Wilson, and while the Broncos' 7-8 record ultimately tells the tale, there's no question that Denver's new head coach was a net positive on him.
Wilson threw just 16 touchdown passes to 11 interceptions last year under Hackett. This season, Wilson boasts an impressive 26-to-8 TD-to-INT ratio, which represents the most passing scores by a Broncos QB since Peyton Manning's 39 in 2014. Payton was definitely a tide that raised the Wilson ship.
But Wilson's healthy TD-to-INT ratio belies a painful lack of passing yards this season, which has limited the Broncos offensively. Wilson surpassed 3,000 yards in Saturday night's loss to the New England Patriots (3,070) in what was his 15th game of the season. That averages out to just 204.6 passing yards per game.
Wilson has been too Tim Tebow-esque this season — painfully stinking it up through three quarters only to pull miraculous rabbits out of his hat in the clutch. When the Broncos' defense was taking the ball away at a historic clip, Payton could live with Wilson's inadequacies.
But that streak of 15 takeaways in five games was unsustainable and destined to come to a screeching halt. Since the Football Gods shut off the takeaway tap, the Wilson chickens have come home to roost, as the Broncos were unable to secure two must-win games in back-to-back weeks.
Now, the Broncos are all but eliminated from playoff contention. Payton says he's hoping that the quarterback change will create a "spark" offensively.
It probably will. But even if the Broncos go on to win their final two games, and even if Stidham acquits himself well, it'll be a sample size too small for Payton and the team brass to bank on as the quarterback answer moving forward.
The Broncos will be big players in the 2024 quarterback market, while Wilson will soon find himself suiting up for another NFL team. Ironically, with 'Mr. Unlimited' under center, Payton's Broncos butted up against their ceiling weeks ago.
Payton is "anxious" to see if Stidham can help the Broncos bust through to another level to close out the season. If the Football Gods will it, and the Broncos get a lot of help around the AFC, there's a slim chance that back-to-back wins to close out the season could qualify this team for the NFL tournament.
But don't count on it.
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