ENGLEWOOD, Colo — The bye week is a common time for NFL teams to approach a player or two about contract-related issues, from extension talks to adjustments to existing deals.
Per multiple sources, the Broncos used this downtime in late October to approach Russell Wilson about adjusting his contract in a good-faith attempt to help ensure a path for the quarterback with the team moving forward.
Several league sources strongly refuted reports the Broncos threatened to bench Wilson if he didn’t adjust an injury guarantee. No threats were made, according to the sources, saying the team dropped the topic when no agreement was reached to focus on the rest of the season.
Two months later, with the team losing three of its last four games following a five-game winning streak, and ranked in the bottom 10 in more than a dozen offensive categories, Broncos head coach Sean Payton announced Wilson would be replaced by Jarrett Stidham as the starter. Wilson started the next seven games after the bye week, playing all but four snaps.
The initial report by Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report stated the Broncos threatened to bench Wilson if he didn’t adjust his injury guarantees – which could have possibly put the team on the hook not only for the $39 million he is guaranteed to draw next season but another $37 million in 2025. Again, multiple league sources close to the Broncos strongly denied threats were made, adding his benching was strictly a football decision, with the previous contract conversations from two months ago not being a factor.
Payton said Wednesday the move was made primarily to spark a struggling offense while trying to win. The Broncos rank No. 25 in total offense and No. 16 in points scored this season.
That’s difficult for Payton to accept. During his 15 seasons as head coach in New Orleans, Payton’s offense 13 times ranked in the top 9 in total offense and 12 times ranked in the top 10 in scoring.
"I understand the speculation that surrounds a move like that,'' Payton said following practice Wednesday. "I can tell you we're desperately trying to win. Sure in our game today there are economics and all those other things. But the No. 1 push behind this -- and it's a decision I'm making -- is to get a spark offensively."
In recent weeks, Payton had seemingly become increasingly frustrated with Wilson’s performance. In back-to-back games at the Los Angeles Chargers, a 24-7 win, and at the Detroit Lions, a 42-17 loss, Payton was spotted harshly scolding Wilson on the sidelines. After the Broncos suffered an upset Christmas Eve loss at home by the New England Patriots, Payton didn’t mince words about his frustration with the team’s offense.
“Right now, we’re average to below-average, I would say, in a lot of things offensively, and it’s not good enough,’’ Payton said Tuesday in a media conference call.
It should be obvious to Broncos followers by now: If Payton, who game plans the offense and calls the offensive plays, was satisfied with how Wilson was operating his offense, the Broncos would keep the quarterback for the foreseeable future and pay him all his money.
Asked Wednesday why Wilson was benched, Payton said: "Without getting into the specifics, because I think that would be unfair today, it's more about what we weren't doing effectively enough offensively. When we were getting two or three turnovers [during five-game winning streak] that's one thing, but ultimately our job is to get the ball in the end zone, and we've got to be more efficient doing that, all of us.’’
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