Russell Wilson has been benched.
Broncos head coach Sean Payton informed the team today that he is benching Wilson and will go with Jarrett Stidham as the starting quarterback on Sunday against the Chargers, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
It’s a stunning move given what the Broncos gave up to acquire Wilson in a trade with the Seahawks, but it’s not stunning given that Wilson has failed to deliver: The Broncos are about to miss the playoffs in Year Two with Wilson, just as they did in Year One.
What Payton’s long-term plans are at the quarterback position aren’t clear, but what is clear is Wilson hasn’t gotten the job done, and Payton doesn’t want to risk Wilson suffering a serious injury and making it harder to move on from Wilson in the offseason. Every NFL head coach wants a quarterback he believes he can win a Super Bowl with, and as Payton’s first season in Denver winds down, Wilson has failed to convince anyone he can bring a championship to Denver.