Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton said Friday the decision to bench Russell Wilson is “strictly” about winning, and not about the quarterback’s contract dispute with the team.
Wilson then told reporters the decision is the direct result of that contract issue.
Who’s telling the truth? The NFL world was left wondering following the directly conflicting reports.
The Broncos announced earlier this week that Wilson would be benched the final two games of the season for backup Jarrett Stidham. The surprising move was followed by reports that Wilson expects to be cut by the team in March and that the two sides had been at odds for a couple of months, with Broncos officials threatening to bench him if he didn’t adjust his contract terms.
Payton denied knowing anything about those contract talks, and said his move to sit Wilson was “strictly” a football decision.
“I’m not privvy to any of those (negotiations). I’m handling the football,” Payton said (via Andrew Mason of DenverSports.com). “I’m not involved in any of that (contract talks). Certainly, I’m involved in a lot. There will be a time and place at the end of the season where maybe some of the questions you might have, someone else will be able to answer.
“My focus has been on winning. … I know how this has been written, but this decision is strictly what I believe gives us a chance to win No. 8. It’s a hard decision …”
Sean Payton says he’s “not privy to” any of the conversations regarding contract terms, etc. re: Russell Wilson. “I’m handling the football,” he says. pic.twitter.com/dvGpE46aZP
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) December 29, 2023
Payton’s claims clouded the narrative for a few minutes, until Wilson talked with reporters and confirmed what everyone had been reporting.
“They came up to me during the bye week and told me if I didn’t change my contract, I didn’t change my injury guarantee I’d be benched the rest of year,” Wilson said.
Russell Wilson details that the Broncos asked him during the bye week to remove the injury guarantee from his contract, and that if he didn’t, “I’d be benched for the rest of the year.” pic.twitter.com/JTXJOtYQXW
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) December 29, 2023
Wilson has an injury guarantee in his contract for 2025 that the Broncos had requested he defer.
Regardless of what really happened behind the scenes, Payton’s reputation has taken a beating not only this week, but dating back to the recent incident where he yelled at Wilson during a game.
Payton’s claim that Wilson’s demotion is all about “winning” left many fans very skeptical, although some cast doubt on Wilson’s account of the situation, too.
How can anyone take Payton seriously….
— GuyInSeattle (@GuyInSeattle1) December 29, 2023
Russell Wilson is a mediocre QB. Sean Payton is a mediocre coach. Both are egomaniacs. Both can be true.
— BeatinTheBookie.com®️ (@BeatinTheBookie) December 29, 2023
And yet he played another 7 games. The idea the Broncos issued a threat or ultimatum is not adding up.
— Christopher Mills (@cjmills82) December 29, 2023
Questions should be asked why he didn’t want a spark when we were 1-5? Why is the benching happening now with 2 games left and have a chance to win the AFC west if KC loses out
— shawn hofer (@shawnhofer1) December 29, 2023
Sean Payton could have handled business better with Russ, yes. But let’s not pretend like restructuring contract requests isn’t normal for rebuilding teams. The timing sucked. Wilson deserved a real 1st season and if he got it he would be leading us to the playoffs in year 2.
— Luke (@The90sMcfly) December 29, 2023
Damn, both sides putting their dirty laundry out there.
— JD (@jdavidson099) December 29, 2023
