(Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
The Russell Wilson and Denver Broncos relationship just got weird.
Not only did the team announce Wilson would be benched for the remainder of the 2023 season, but multiple reports indicated the team asked Wilson to restructure his contract or he would be cut this spring.
Now, no one knows exactly who orchestrated this series of events, but a lot of people have begun to point fingers at Broncos head coach Sean Payton.
ESPN analyst and former NFL defensive back Ryan Clark went so far as to call Payton a “thug” for how he treated Wilson since he took the head job in Denver earlier this year, via “Get Up.”
.@Realrclark25 had this to say about Sean Payton in Denver. pic.twitter.com/WyAKDi5IJz
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) December 29, 2023
Clark referenced the infamous line where Payton said he would treat Wilson like every other player on the team and that Wilson should “stop kissing babies” because the quarterback isn’t running for public office.
Again, this whole situation is odd considering the Broncos signed Wilson to a five-year contract extension worth $245 million after the team traded for him in 2022 – a year before Denver traded for Payton to be their head coach.
That contract isn’t even set to kick in until next offseason, which is why Denver likely wanted Wilson to restructure it after two subpar seasons with the team.
Regardless of the who, what, or why, Wilson won’t be the Broncos’ starting quarterback in 2024.
So it’ll be on Payton to find the next one after Wilson’s two disastrous years.
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