Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson made an interesting admission while speaking to reporters on Friday.
In a surprise move, the Broncos announced on Wednesday that the 35-year-old signal-caller will be benched for their final two regular season games in favor of backup Jarrett Stidham. Denver (7-8) is still mathematically alive in the postseason race.
It’s believed that Denver is doing this simply because they’d have to pay Wilson $37 million in guaranteed money for 2025 if he suffered an injury. Resting Wilson allows the Broncos to play it safe and avoid such a hefty charge.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Wilson confirmed reports that the Broncos threatened to bench him during their Week 9 bye if he didn’t restructure the injury guarantees in his contract. Despite his benching, the nine-time Pro Bowler emphasized that he wishes to remain in Denver next year and help them compete for championships:
Wilson’s honesty led to him receiving plenty of praise from football fans for handling the difficult matter with pure class:
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Indeed, Wilson deserves full credit for handling this with professionalism and integrity. The decision to bench him looks awfully bad on an organization that handed Wilson a $245 million extension before he ever took a snap for them.
At this point, it already feels like Wilson and the Broncos are headed to a divorce. If he hits the open market, the Super Bowl 48 champion will certainly have no problem garnering plenty of interest.
