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The Russell Wilson era in Denver reached the beginning of the end on Wednesday, December 27 following his benching and now looming departure from the Broncos in 2024, per ESPN’s Dianna Russini.
Nearly 12 hours after ESPN’s Adam Schefter broke the news of Wilson’s benching for Denver’s final two regular season games, Wilson took to X with his first public comments on the situation.
“God’s got me. Looking forward to what’s next,” Wilson wrote to his 5.5 million followers. The post was viewed more than 6.5 million times in its first 24 hours.
Among the more than 85,000 people to have “liked” the post is Wilson’s wife, Ciara, who showed a small gesture of public support on a hectic day across Broncos Country.
Earlier in the day, Wilson also liked a few notable posts on X, including this one from prominent NFL aggregator Dov Kleiman and another suggesting he was “outplaying” stars like Patrick Mahomes.
Broncos ‘Threatened’ to Bench Russell Wilson as Early as October: Report
According to Bleacher Report insider Jordan Schultz on December 27, the Broncos had been mulling the decision to sit Wilson since at least Halloween, when they first “threatened” him over his contract guarantees.
Denver’s Week 16 loss to New England — leaving them with a slim 6% chance at the playoffs — may have simply made the decision easier.
“The Broncos approached Wilson two days after their October 29 upset win over the Kansas City Chiefs and told him he would be made inactive for the rest of the season if he did not adjust his contract and defer the injury guarantee trigger date that he has for 2025. Wilson has $37 million in injury guarantees for 2025 that will become guaranteed no matter what on the fifth day of the 2024 league year in March,” Schultz wrote on X.
Schultz also noted that following the October discussion, “the team, Wilson’s camp, the NFLPA, and another unknown party were involved in negotiations that ended with no change in Wilson’s contract.”
The fallout comes less than two years after Denver acquired Wilson via a blockbuster trade from Seattle, and 16 months since signing him to a new five-year, $245 million extension in September 2022.
With the expectation Wilson is to be cut in March 2024, per Russini, he won’t play a snap in a Broncos uniform under that extension. Denver, meanwhile, turns to backup Jarrett Stidham to finish out the 2023 season.
Heavy on Broncos has already examined five potential veteran QB replacements in 2024.
Russell Wilson, Ciara Welcomed Their 3rd Child Together in December
Ciara, 38, and Wilson, 35, also welcomed their third child together (Ciara’s fourth) in recent weeks.
On December 11, the pop star and Broncos quarterback took to Instagram to announce the birth of their daughter, Amora Princess Wilson.
“We Love You so much,” the couple wrote to their combined 40 million followers.
Ciara told Entertainment Tonight in early December that, “The thing is — to me — when you bring a new life, it’s such a big responsibility. I already have three babies right now and they’re turnt. It’s like the three stooges, you never know what you’re going to get. Adding a fourth member in is like ‘what’s that going to be like?'”
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