Russell Wilson has faced some tough opponents this season, but none tougher than his own head coach Sean Payton, at least in the mind of former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III.
Following the news that Wilson, 35, would be benched for the Broncos’ final two games in favor of Jarrett Stidham, Griffin criticized Payton, 59, for his perceived lack of support for his signal-caller.
“Russell Wilson’s biggest opposition this year was Sean Payton,” RGIII, an ESPN analyst, wrote in an X post Wednesday. “Embarrassed him in the media, on the sideline and every chance he got. After a long year of showing the locker room that Russ was never his guy, he benched him despite his improved play.”
Payton and Wilson have been under the microscope all year since the former Saints boss took over the job in Denver.
Questions have surrounded the two’s relationship, and that flared up after Payton was caught yelling at Wilson on the sideline during the Broncos’ 42-17 blowout loss to the Lions on Dec. 16.
Both Wilson and Payton sidestepped questions about the incident, which was the second consecutive week that the coach had a heated interaction with the QB.
But now, the organization will have to deal with the speculation that comes with the type of move they made Wednesday.
While the Broncos are still in the playoff hunt (with 8 percent odds to make the postseason), they’ll face plenty of questions about Wilson’s future with the organization after this season.
On Wednesday, Payton acknowledged that those questions would come but implied the move was made because the Broncos are “desperately trying to win.”
“I understand all the speculation and everything that surrounds a move like that,” he told reporters. “I can tell you, we’re desperately trying to win. Sure, in our game today there are economics and all those other things, but the number one push behind this — and it’s a decision I’m making — is to get a spark offensively.
“Obviously, it’s difficult and all of us feel like, ‘Man we didn’t do well enough.’”
However, the decision to bench Wilson also protects Denver from having to navigate a major injury, should he get hurt while they’re contemplating his Broncos future.
The $37 million that Wilson is owed for 2025 becomes guaranteed in March 2024, according to NFL Network, and if the Broncos wanted to release Wilson, they wouldn’t be able to if he was hurt or recovering from an injury.
Wilson arrived in Denver via a trade from Seattle in March 2022, and he had a disastrous first year, which saw then-head coach Nathanial Hackett fired before the end of the season.
While he has improved this year and thrown for 26 touchdowns with a 98 passer rating, the Broncos’ offense ranks just 16th in scoring (21.8 points per game).
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