Why is Russell Wilson benched by Broncos? Exploring Sean Payton’s team escaping $37,000,000 liability

The Denver Broncos are benching Russell Wilson for the remainder of the season. The team is still in the playoff race but Sean Payton is still willing to start Jared Stidham in place of Wilson. Why are the Broncos doing this? Let's take a look:

If Wilson is injured in the final two games of the season and fails to pass the physical before the start of the next season, the Broncos will be forced to pay him an additional $37 million in guaranteed money. As a result, they are attempting to tread lightly, similar to what the Raiders did with Derek Carr last season.

Russell Wilson has played considerably well this season but it seems like the franchise has already made up their mind. In 15 games this season, he has thrown for 3,070 yards, 26 touchdowns, and eight interceptions with a passer rating of 98.0.

If the Broncos decide to trade or cut Wilson after this season, they'll get hit with a lot of dead money. However, despite that it would be a sensible move as they are not a Super Bowl contender with him as the quarterback. Wilson's future does not lie in Denver, as evidenced by recent outbursts from Sean Payton.

As per Front Office Sports, if Wilson is released by the Denver Broncos after June 1st, he'll cost them:

1. $35.4M in 2024 dead cap money
2. $49.6M in 2025 dead cap money

Despite the significant dead cap money, the Broncos can build a good roster if they draft a quarterback in the next year's draft. Although they are unlikely to land with a top pick, they could still get a pretty good quarterback as the upcoming draft is filled with talented signal callers.

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Russell Wilson trade details

Russell Wilson was traded by the Seattle Seahawks to the Broncos prior to the start of the 2022-2023 NFL season. In exchange for the Super Bowl-winning quarterback, the Seahawks received:

1. 2022 First-round pick
2. 2022 second-round pick
3. 2022 fifth-round pick
4. 2023 first-round pick
5. 2023 second-round pick
6. Drew Lock
7. Shelby Harris
8. Noah Fant

The Seahawks have found success with Geno Smith as their quarterback and have already drafted star cornerback Devon Witherspoon with the 2023 first-round pick. They are in a much better situation than the Broncos and it will be interesting to see how what Sean Payton does if he moves off Wilson after this season.

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Russell Wilson contract details

Russell Wilson: New England Patriots v Denver Broncos

After getting traded to the Broncos, Wilson signed a five-year $242.5 million contract extension. He will be an unrestricted free agent in 2029 but given the current situation, it is likely that the veteran quarterback will be on his way out of Denver after this season.

Per Spotrac, Wilson will earn around $43 million next season, which could complicate things for the teams looking to pursue him. In the last year of his contract, the Broncos quarterback will earn close to $42 million based on the current deal.

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