The Broncos still have an eight percent chance of earning a postseason berth, but that didn’t stop them from making a quarterback change Wednesday.
Denver (7-8) will start Jarrett Stidham over the 35-year-old Russell Wilson, which would allow the Broncos to avoid navigating a major injury — and recovery — ahead of a looming decision with the former Pro Bowl signal-caller, according to ESPN.
Wilson, who will dress as the No. 2 quarterback, according to NFL Network, is owed $37 million for 2025 which becomes guaranteed in March 2024, and if the Broncos wanted to eventually part ways with Wilson, they couldn’t release him if he’s injured and recovering.
Denver lost to the Patriots, 26-23, on Sunday after erasing a 16-point deficit in the fourth quarter, dropping them to 1-3 across the past four games and all but eliminating a clear-cut path to the postseason entering their final two games against the Chargers and Raiders.
While Wilson’s numbers have improved since a disastrous 2022 campaign, he has still only thrown for 26 touchdowns across 15 games, and the Broncos’ offense has topped 30 points twice this season.
“I’m just worried about next week and playing great football,” Wilson told reporters Sunday when asked about his future with the Broncos. “I came here to win and win a championship for us and find a way to do that. Obviously, I love being here with these guys, these teammates. I’m excited to keep playing ball and playing hard for us.”
Denver acquired Wilson — a nine-time Pro Bowler — from the Seahawks in March 2022 to revamp their offense under new head coach Nathaniel Hackett, but Hackett was fired before his first season concluded and Denver pivoted to hiring Sean Payton in the offseason, offering Wilson another reset.
At times, it worked.
The Broncos strung together five consecutive wins mid-season — all against teams either holding postseason spots or in the hunt — and three included game-winning drives from Wilson late in the fourth quarter.
But after Payton’s decision, Wilson’s future with the Broncos became murkier.
As NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero noted, the Broncos’ pivot marked a similar approach to what the Raiders used with quarterback Derek Carr last season before he was ultimately released and signed with the Saints.
Stidham, the quarterback who replaced Carr in Las Vegas, signed with the Broncos in the offseason and will now make the third start of his NFL career — which began when the Patriots selected him in the fourth round of the 2019 draft.
Wilson, who won a Super Bowl with the Seahawks, has 3,070 yards and eight interceptions this season.
