National Football League

What's next for Russell Wilson after being benched by Broncos?

Updated Dec. 30, 2023 12:49 p.m. ET

Russell Wilson's fate in the Mile High City appears to be sealed.

The Broncos are benching the quarterback for the final two games of the season, a possible signal that they plan to cut ties with him at year's end. Even though the Broncos are still alive for a playoff spot, their chances of making the postseason are relatively slim and any possible injury to Wilson could be costly.

Wilson is already owed $39 million guaranteed next season and would be owed $37 million guaranteed for the 2025 season if he's on the roster by March 17. If Wilson can't pass his physical in the spring, the Broncos would still be on the hook for a $37 million guaranteed salary for the 2025 season.

Even though the decision to bench Wilson could save the Broncos a lot of money, FOX Sports NFL insider Peter Schrager isn't sure if the decision was entirely "performance-based or financially based," citing Denver's 1-3 record in its last four games and the financial commitment it made to Jarrett Stidham in the offseason.

"Russ was great, Russ had some big moments, some big fourth-quarter moments but that offense has been sputtering for the last month," Schrager said on the most recent episode of the "NFL on FOX" podcast. "They didn't sign Stidham for a dollar; he was a $7 million backup. They spent real money on him. I know when Sean Payton signed Stidham, there were multiple teams going after Stidham and even after they signed him there was buzz that maybe Payton is inheriting Russ and Stidham is the guy he actually wants to see on the field."

Is Russell Wilson's future with the Denver Broncos OVER after being benched?

Wilson saw a brief resurgence in play after struggling for nearly his first year and a half in Denver, completing 71.6 percent of his passes for 894 yards, eight touchdowns and zero interceptions with a 109.5 passer rating to go along with 116 rushing yards and a rushing score over the Broncos' five-game winning streak between Weeks 7-12.

Wilson's play has regressed since then, though, completing just 61.7 percent of his passes for 871 yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions with two rushing scores over the Broncos' last four games. As Denver appeared to be on the right track to get a playoff spot, it sputtered toward the bottom of the pack of teams fighting for wild-card spots in the AFC over the last month, which culminated in a loss at home to a three-win New England team on Sunday.

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Schrager, who worked with Payton on "FOX NFL Kickoff" last season, said that the Broncos coach has been "mum" on why he decided to bench Wilson for Stidham.

Regardless of why the Broncos decided to bench Wilson, the veteran quarterback will likely have to find a new professional home if he wants to play in the NFL for a 13th season. Schrager compared Wilson's situation to a quarterback who faced a similar situation last offseason, believing that he'll likely have to compete for a starting job in 2024.

Russell Wilson's future a question after Broncos bench him for Jarrett Stidham

"Baker Mayfield was kicked around a bit from the Rams, from the Panthers and from the Browns before he signed on with Tampa. It was going to be Baker or [Kyle] Trask [to be the team's starting quarterback]," Schrager said. "[Mayfield] won the job and Baker's been a great story. If Baker Mayfield can get a starting job, if Derek Carr can get a huge contract this past offseason, is there not another team that's going to say, ‘Alright, we can take it on' with Russ?

"The question is, do you want all that comes with Russ? Which sounds like it's negative, but you still have a Super Bowl winner, a guy who's been an All-Pro and all of these things that go with it. Russ might not necessarily want to fight for a job and might want to be the starter. That might not be on the table for many teams."

If Wilson is looking to join a team to compete for a starting job, Schrager thinks that there are only a few possible suitors.

"Atlanta Falcons, let's say they finish too good to be in the top-five or top-10 for a quarterback, I'm just throwing a team out that might be in the search for a quarterback," Schrager said. "The Falcons and the Washington Commanders if they don't draft one [could be possibilities]. In Minnesota, what are the [Vikings] going to do if they walk away from Kirk Cousins? I don't think they will, but you can count [the list of possible suitors for Wilson] on one hand. It's not like there's 20 teams lining up for Russell Wilson."

Broncos bench Russell Wilson for final two games of the season

The Falcons' and Commanders' decisions to start second-year quarterbacks who were selected in the middle rounds of the 2022 NFL Draft backfired. Atlanta recently benched Desmond Ridder for a second time this season as it's 7-8 in an underwhelming NFC South. Washington, meanwhile, named Jacoby Brissett its starting quarterback for Week 17 after Sam Howell was pulled from the last two games. The Commanders could be in a good spot to select one of the top quarterbacks in the 2024 draft, as they currently hold the No. 3 pick.

As Schrager mentioned, the Vikings will have a decision to make on Cousins, who is a free agent at season's end. They can't place the franchise tag on the veteran quarterback, but could feel inclined to make a hefty offer to keep him. Cousins suffered an Achilles tear in November and the Vikings have navigated a QB carousel since then, with rookie fifth-round pick Jaren Hall being named the start