Benching Russell Wilson was a threat if he didn’t agree to change his contract.
In the end, Sean Payton, in his first season in Denver following Nathaniel Hackett’s firing in Wilson’s first season with the team, benched him for the Broncos’ final two games of the 2023 season, calling it a “football decision.”
The unsteady Broncos, who haven’t advanced to the postseason since winning Super Bowl 50 eight years ago, appear to have taken every action possible to convey to Wilson that he is no longer wanted.
However, in the midst of speculation that the franchise could have to pay an incredible $85 million in dead cap to get Wilson out, the nine-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl winner says he wants to stick with the Broncos and help them win it all again.
In response to a question about if he still has fixation from former Jet Brandon Marshall, Wilson stated on the “I Am Athlete” podcast, “I’ve got more fire than ever, honestly, especially over the past two years of what I’ve gone through.” “I hope it’s in Denver, and I hope I get to finish there, whether it’s in Denver or somewhere else. I wanted to be there, and I committed there. I would want to attend.
The 35-year-old Wilson did, however, mention that he wants to play for a team that wants him when he stated his objective with the Broncos.
It’s all about winning for me. I want to win two [Super Bowls] in the next five years and experience the thrill of winning that trophy once more. I adore the city and everything else, but you want to live somewhere that is welcoming to you as well. My only concern is winning; that is what I want to accomplish.
Wilson signed a five-year, $242.5 million contract extension with the Broncos, who had acquired him from the Seahawks two years prior.
The Broncos, with Payton now on board, seemed to be experiencing buyer’s remorse following a disastrous first season in which he set career lows in completion percentage (60.5) and touchdowns (16) and witnessed Hackett fired after just 15 games.
Wilson, who won Super Bowl XLVIII with Seattle over Denver in February 2014, informed reporters in December that the Broncos threatened to bench him for the remainder of the season in October during the bye week following a victory over the Chiefs that moved them to 3-5, unless he modified his $37 million injury guarantee for the 2025 campaign.
At first, I didn’t think it was true. This can’t be genuine,” Wilson remarked in the podcast. “Hey, we’re going to bench you for the next nine games if you don’t change your injury guarantee,” I got the call. They want to postpone my injury guarantee and take it away for the remainder of the year, so they won’t be responsible for paying if I fall ill.
“I didn’t want athletes to eliminate their injury guarantees as a precedent. I was not going to do it in any way. I said, “All right, if that’s what you want to do,” when they announced that they would bench me.
Wilson claimed that after then, Payton informed him to disregard the request and that he would start against the Bills on “Monday Night Football.”
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