Current:Home > InvestRussell Wilson says Broncos had threatened benching if he didn't renegotiate contract-InfoLens
Russell Wilson says Broncos had threatened benching if he didn't renegotiate contract
View Date:2024-12-23 15:04:44
Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson said Friday that the team had threatened in October to bench him if he did not agree to renegotiate his contract.
Wilson told reporters that Broncos officials approached him during the team's bye week and told him "if I didn't change my contract, my injury guarantee, that I'd be benched for the rest of the year."
Wilson's $37 million salary for 2025 is guaranteed if he remains on the roster in mid-March, and an injury in the final weeks of the season would complicate the Broncos' ability to move him. Denver announced earlier this week that the 35-year-old had been benched for Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
"I was definitely disappointed about it," Wilson told reporters about the bye week conversation. "It was a process throughout the whole week, whole bye week. We just came off beating the Chiefs, played a pretty good game against the Chiefs, we just came off of that. So I was excited obviously for us, fighting for the playoffs and getting on a hot streak."
Wilson added that the NFL Players' Association and NFL "got involved" at some point. The NFL declined comment and a spokesperson for the union did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.
"For me, I came here to play here, to win," Wilson added. "I knew it was going to be a process. I signed a seven-year deal, for us to go and play hard. ... I want to be here, I want to play here, I want to win championships here."
Multiple outlets reported that the Broncos had approached Wilson about revising his contract. When asked about the reports earlier Friday, Broncos coach Sean Payton demurred, saying in part that "I'm not privy to any of those (conversations)."
"I'm handling the football," Payton said. "That's something (Broncos GM) George (Paton) and the front office (handle). I'm not involved in any of that."
Payton has previously portrayed Wilson's benching as an attempt to give the offense a spark, while acknowledging that "there are economics and all those other things" in the game nowadays. Backup Jarrett Stidham will start Sunday, with Wilson as the backup.
A nine-time Pro Bowl honoree with the Seattle Seahawks, Wilson signed a five-year, $242.6 million extension with Denver after being traded there in March 2022. He struggled in his first year with the Broncos but has been more solid in 2023, completing 66.4 percent of his passes with 26 touchdowns and eight picks.
veryGood! (97138)
Related
- Shawn Mendes quest for self-discovery is a quiet triumph: Best songs on 'Shawn' album
- 'Courageous' Minneapolis officer remembered after fatal shooting; suspected shooter dead
- Over 40 years after children found a dead baby near a road, Vermont police find infant's parents and close the case
- Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez Reunite at Family Event Amid Breakup Speculation
- Fantasy football waiver wire: 10 players to add for NFL Week 11
- Biden is said to be finalizing plans for migrant limits as part of a US-Mexico border clampdown
- Officers deny extorting contractor accused of sexually assaulting women for years
- Ex-mayor in West Virginia admits theft of funds from a hospital where he was CEO
- Inflation ticked up in October, CPI report shows. What happens next with interest rates?
- Chinese national allegedly made $99 million selling access to Windows home computers
Ranking
- Week 10 fantasy football rankings: PPR, half-PPR and standard leagues
- 2 climbers stranded with hypothermia await rescue off Denali, North America's tallest mountain
- Beyoncé stylist Zerina Akers goes country with new Cirque Du Soleil show
- Man who injured police officer during Capitol riot is sentenced to 5 years in prison
- 5-year-old boy who went missing while parent was napping is found dead near Oregon home, officials say
- Why Devastated Jennifer Lopez Is Canceling Her Tour
- Officer who arrested Scottie Scheffler: 'Yes, the department has us buying freaking $80 pants'
- Evers appoints replacement for University of Wisconsin regent who refuses to step down
Recommendation
-
'Gladiator 2' review: Yes, we are entertained again by outrageous sequel
-
Report: Dolphins to sign WR Jaylen Waddle to three-year, $84.75 million contract extension
-
Missing Maine man was shot, placed in a barrel and left at a sand pit, police say
-
Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia registers as independent, citing ‘partisan extremism’
-
Chet Holmgren injury update: Oklahoma City Thunder star suffers hip fracture
-
'Eric': Is the Netflix crime drama based on a true story? And will there be a Season 2?
-
Kris Jenner reflects on age gap in relationship with Corey Gamble: 'A ... big number'
-
Biden is said to be finalizing plans for migrant limits as part of a US-Mexico border clampdown