NFL 2023 Recap: How Russell Wilson Got Benched Despite Getting the Broncos Through a Rut?

The Denver Broncos had encashed all their chips when they brought Russell Wilson to their team over from the Seattle Seahawks in 2022. They had paid a hefty $245 million to acquire him in the hopes that he would turn around their tide and help their first Super Bowl Championship since 2015. But alas, that was not to be. Even though he started on a rough note at his new home with a 5-12 record in 2022, this season they have done much better. With just one game left, they are 8-8.

However, it seems that the Broncos’ ownership and coaching staff had run out of patience with the 35-year-old QB. In a shock move, they benched him in favor of Jarett Stidham. But was his performance the only reason behind his benching?

Why was Russell Wilson benched at the fag end of the season?

The Athletic reported that Wilson himself said that he was benched because he refused to change the terms of his contract. And what were these terms? Ian Rapoport took to X and revealed the nitty-gritty of the contract. His contract had an injury clause that said that if he injured himself during the season, his $37 million salary would become vested.

Apparently, the Broncos had approached him regarding changing this clause two months ago. It seems that they were unsure of Wilson and wanted to cut him off during the next season. By benching him for the last two games of the season, there can be no way for him to get injured and thus activate the clause. This would now give them more “flexibility” to cut him before the March deadline.

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So, how had the run with the Broncos been for the star QB? He not only got them through a rut, but has given them their best season since 2016.

How bad or good was Wilson’s 2023 run?

The Broncos started shakily and lost their first three games of 2023. Then came one win, followed by two more defeats. The Broncos were now 1-5. There were calls from left, right, and center to bench the quarterback or even trade him off to some other team completely. But the team decided to stick with him. And then #3 led a stunning comeback, winning five straight games. And three of these wins were against three of the toughest teams in the league.

But since then, the Broncos lost three of their last four games. In those games, he threw four interceptions, which he had taken 11 games to do previously. As his time with the Broncos comes to an end this season, he has raked in 3,070 passing yards and 26 touchdowns while throwing 8 interceptions and taking 45 sacks.

“I hope that [I’m] here for a long time,” Wilson had told The Athletic. But it seems that fate has other plans for him.

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