What did Sean Payton say to Russell Wilson? Broncos HC clears air on team situation in Denver

Russell Wilson will have to take a back seat to Jarrett Stidham for the Denver Broncos’ 2023 Week 17 game against the Los Angeles Chargers. It’s a surprising development for a team with a slim chance of a playoff berth this season.

However, the change was made late into Sean Payton’s first season as Broncos head coach. He shared his response regarding the transition in a recent press conference.

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Sean Payton is just interested in winning

NFL Network’s Andrew Siciliano tweeted a video of Sean Payton’s response when a reporter mentioned:

“It looks like Russ (Wilson) is taking the brunt of the blame.”

The Super Bowl-winning head coach said:

“I can't replace the entire offensive line. I can't bring in five new receivers and if it continues over a period of time, then there will be another guy here to talk into you as well...You know these are difficult decisions and obviously, there's more attention when it's the quarterback who's under contract.

“I can just assure you one thing and honestly I've said this to Greg (Penner) and George (Paton) a number of times. I'm just interested in winning. And it doesn't matter how. When you do this for this long period of time, it's all you're interested in. There's nothing like it and the other side of it, you know there's nothing like that either.”

The Broncos benched Russell Wilson even if they still have a chance to end their seven-season playoff drought. However, they will need help from other squads, especially the Kansas City Chiefs, to achieve that feat.

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Was Russell Wilson benched due to contract concerns?

While Sean Payton is preaching his response to the change at quarterback, The Athletic’s NFL insider Dianna Russini offers a different perspective on Russell Wilson’s benching.

She tweeted that the decision to replace Wilson with Stidham allegedly started in October when the Broncos approached Wilson’s representatives about delaying the quarterback’s 2025 injury guarantee date.

The Denver Broncos must pay Wilson’s 2025 injury guarantee on the fifth day of the 2024 league year (March 17). This caveat on the quarterback’s contract has the Broncos leaning toward cutting Wilson before that date.

If Russell Wilson has played his last game for Denver, he will finish the 2023 NFL season with 297 completions for 3,070 yards, 26 touchdowns, and eight interceptions.

He will end his Broncos stint two seasons after the squad traded five picks (including two first-rounders) and three players to the Seattle Seahawks to acquire him.