Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton went into detail about his decision to bench quarterback Russell Wilson as his team desperately clings to its slim playoff odds.
One thing Payton admitted? It's not about the money with Wilson…but also, it kind of is.
Concerning his decision to start Jarrett Stidham in Week 17 and bench Wilson, Payton told media members “[w]e're desperately trying to win. Sure, in our game today, there are economics and other things,” courtesy of NFL Network's Andrew Siciliano.
“But the number one thing…is to get a spark offensively.”
When the idea of benching Wilson to avoid the QB getting injured and triggering guarantees in his contract was raised, Payton called into question the timing of the decision. “I get that, but then why not last week? Or two week ago?”
As for the idea that Wilson was shouldering too much blame for a team that has lost three of its last four games and is averaging just over 20 points across that span, Payton passed on the chance to defend his $245 million signal caller.
“I can't replace the entire offensive line. I can't bring in five new receivers,” Payton lamented in pointed comments.
Payton, Broncos feeling let down?
While Wilson has played better in Year 1 under Payton, he's still performing below what was expected following the trade from the Seattle Seahawks and subsequent contract extension Denver signed him to.
Payton has turned Wilson into a dink-and-dunk passer in 2023, limiting the passer's ability to hit big plays.
After a brutal start to the season, Denver's defense under Vance Joseph has turned things around and become one of the NFL's better units, putting more pressure on Payton's offense to perform.
But the team still faces long odds to qualify for the postseason. Clearly for Payton and Broncos decision-makers, those odds are not worth running Wilson out there and risking injury in the team's final two games.
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