Aaron Rodgers mouths off at Sean Payton, names Broncos HC his 'enemy' in empathic view of Russell Wilson's benching
When the Denver Broncos benched Russell Wilson, the league stood up and took notice. While it didn't come as too much of a surprise given the Broncos' state of affairs, the fact that they decided to bench a franchise quarterback still raised some eyebrows among fans and analysts alike.
Of course, the news also reached Aaron Rodgers, who spoke about Wilson's situation in Denver on The Pat McAfee Show.
Rodgers said:
"I think anybody can probably look at the situation objectively and say that Russ probably wasn't Sean's first choice. There's an old adage, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. I think me and Russ have more of a common enemy based on some comments that have been said about a dear friend of mine."
"My heart actually goes out to Russ. I think he has handled what happened in Denver pretty well and I applaud him for speaking on it because it's a tough situation."
Injury guarantees primary reason why Russell Wilson was benched
In an interview with reporters, Russell Wilson confirmed that the Broncos asked him to waive his injury guarantees for maneuverability.
The quarterback said:
"They came up to me during the bye week and they told me that if I didn't change my contract, my injury guarantee that I'd be benched for the rest of the year."
"I was definitely disappointed about it and it was a process throughout the whole week, for the bye weekend."
Interestingly, the Broncos' first attempt at broaching the conversation came after they beat the Kansas City Chiefs at the end of October. In that game, Wilson threw for 114 yards and three touchdowns.
Wilson's injury guarantees appear to be the primary reason for his benching, per multiple reports. Denver reportedly asked if he could push back the trigger date for the guarantee worth $37 million. The ex-Seahawks QB is guaranteed to earn $39 million next year, but the Broncos were looking for some maneuverability with the $37 million they would owe him if he doesn’t pass a physical by the fifth day of the 2024 league year (March 17).
For what it's worth, the NFLPA deemed the move illegal and will likely take action against the franchise.
Since he refused to agree to push the injury guarantee, the Broncos decided to bench him in favour of Jarrett Stidham. Denver's new QB1 had a decent outing against the Los Angeles Chargers, going 20-of-32 on passing for 224 yards in a 16-9 win.
Where will Russell Wilson play in 2024?
Lord knows there are a few QB-needy teams heading into 2024. The likes of the Atlanta Falcons, Washington Commanders and New England Patriots are all short of a QB1, though the Patriots will likely look at solving that issue in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The Las Vegas Raiders and Minnesota Vikings could also take a swing at landing Wilson in 2024.
NFL insider Dianna Russini reported at the end of December that the Broncos are expected to cut Wilson in March.
CBS Sports' Cody Benjamin explained the Broncos' monetary workings, writing:
“If that were to happen [Broncos designating Russell Wilson a post-June 1 release], Denver would eat Wilson’s 2024 salary but actually avoid any financial blow to the 2024 cap. In other words, they’d save nothing immediately, but millions beyond 2024."
In this case, however, they would owe a gargantuan $85 million in dead money, which would make NFL history even if it were spread over two seasons.