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Russell Wilson might have played his final game for the Denver Broncos after getting benched for Jarrett Stidham. While there’s no clear explanation for the benching, his injury guarantees for the 2025 NFL season might be the reason.
The Broncos are replacing Wilson with Stidham for a crucial Week 17 game that could keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
Former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown has been paying close attention to Russell Wilson’s situation with the Broncos. The Super Bowl champion with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers expressed his thoughts through three tweets.
He quoted Payton’s response in a recent press conference about Wilson taking the brunt of the blame. Payton said he can’t replace the offensive linemen or bring in five new receivers. Brown reacted to this soundbite by saying:
“This how the crackers blame it all on you on the way out 😂👊🏾✈️🤔 nah fr”
Brown also speculated on what the Denver Broncos truly feel about Wilson’s contract extension by posting this tweet.
Finally, the five-time All-Pro wideout closed his take on Russell Wilson’s Broncos saga with this comment.
Wilson has 297 completions for 3,070 yards, 26 touchdowns, and eight interceptions in 15 games for the Broncos this season. He has a $22 million cap hit this season under the final year of the last contract he signed with the Seattle Seahawks.
He was the Broncos’ starting quarterback when Payton joined the team this season. While they started the season 1-5, they turned a corner by winning their next five games.
However, they have lost three of their last four, including their Week 16 faceoff with the New England Patriots. Wilson had a decent stat line of a 67.6 completion percentage (25 of 37 throws) for 238 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions.
NFL insider revealed the turn of events that led to Russell Wilson’s benching
In a series of tweets, The Athletic’s NFL insider Dianna Russini revealed that the Broncos approached Wilson’s representatives last October regarding the quarterback’s 2025 injury guarantee. The team asked if he could push back the trigger date for the guarantee worth $37 million.
As his contract states, the veteran signal-caller will earn that guaranteed amount if he doesn’t pass a physical by the fifth day of the 2024 league year (March 17). However, no changes were made, prompting the Broncos to bench him.
Russini added that the Broncos are expected to cut Russell Wilson by March, leading to $85 million in dead money. The 2024 NFL season would have been the first season under his five-year mega-extension.
