Looks like the mild disagreement between Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton and quarterback Russell Wilson has become a rift.
The Broncos announced on Wednesday that Wilson is going to sit (Broncos bench QB Russell Wilson and will turn to Jarrett Stidham, AP source says).
Wilson will be replaced by Stidham, whose first start will be against the woeful Los Angeles Chargers, who fired coach Brandon Staley weeks ago, although it’s not like Stidham is a rookie. Stidham is a journeyman quarterback himself – in fact, as the AP story linked here points out, it’s almost the same situation that Stidham was in last year, when he started the final few games last year in Las Vegas after the Raiders benched Derek Carr to avoid the risk of Carr getting injured, to keep from paying him.
That wouldn’t be the case this time.
The AP reported Wilson had been benched, but as of this writing, Payton had not yet met with the media. That is coming later today, after the Broncos finish practice.
According to the AP source, the move to sit Wilson was a football decision, definitely not a front office decision.
An ESPN story by Jeff XXXXX (Broncos to bench Russell Wilson for Week 17 game, sources say) noted this, though: Wilson is due a $37 million bonus by March in guaranteed money if he can’t pass a physical. If he got injured in either of the Broncos’ last two games, that could do it.
Wilson is 35 and has thrown for 300 yards just once this season, ironically in the team’s 70-20 loss to Miami.
