Why was Russell Wilson benched? Is he done with Broncos? - ESPN

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The biggest decision the Denver Broncos will face this offseason is about quarterback Russell Wilson's future, and they seemed to hint at what's coming by benching him Wednesday in favor of Jarrett Stidham with two games left in the regular season.

Wilson's five-year, $242.6 million contract signed in 2022 carries plenty of potential salary cap pain if Wilson isn't behind center in 2024, but coach Sean Payton has been open about his displeasure with the offense.

Wilson is among the NFL's top 10 in touchdown passes and passer rating, but the Broncos are among the league's worst in third-down production and goal-to-situations as well as 22nd in the red zone. The Broncos will also likely finish without a 1,000-yard receiver for the fourth consecutive season and will probably miss the playoffs for the eighth.

Wilson has one 300-yard passing game this season — the team's 70-20 loss to the Miami Dolphins — but has been more efficient and thrown fewer interceptions (8) than last season, when he finished with a career-low 16 touchdowns, 11 interceptions and a career-most 55 sacks.

But given the news out of the Broncos' facility, is he on his way out of Denver? We answer the biggest questions:

Payton has been fuming about the offense for much of the second half of the season, including a sideline blowup at Wilson during the team's loss to Detroit. On Tuesday, Payton said the Broncos were «average to below average in a lot of things offensively'' despite Wilson being tied for sixth in the NFL in touchdown passes (26).

Then there's the money. Wilson is guaranteed $39 million in 2024 whether he is with the team or not, but he also has an additional $37 million that would become guaranteed if he cannot pass a