Shortly after the narrow loss against the Patriots, HC Sean Payton announced the Broncos’ official decision to bench Russell Wilson for the remaining season.
Ever since the news of Russell Wilson getting benched by the Denver Broncos broke on the internet, there seems to be a debate going around whether the decision was wise or not. And in the list of those prominent NFL personalities who came in support of the quarterback, one more name has been added — Craig Carton.
Everything seemed okay with the Broncos and Wilson until week 16, ahead of the game against the New England Patriots. However, shortly after the narrow loss, head coach Sean Payton announced the franchise’s official decision to bench Wilson for the remaining season.
When the head coach was asked why, his reply came off quite bizarre as he stated, that it’s impossible for Denver to replace all of their linemen and receivers, but they can replace the quarterback. And so they did. Although Payton wasn’t wrong in his statement, saying it aloud to the media scaled down the whole thing to a rift between Payton and Wilson.
In a recent episode of The Carton Show, Carton brought up the hot topic of Wilson’s contract with the Broncos, arguing the franchise humiliated the quarterback by benching him over some petty contract clause, especially Payton.
Carton said:
Sean Payton disliked Russell Wilson on a level I've never seen before. Not only is he embarrassing him by benching him for the last two games, he's making him dress. Meaning what? CBS..Fox..whoever it is..is going to be on the sideline with a camera on Russell Wilson the entire game.Craig Carton on The Carton Show
Carton argued that the 35-year-old quarterback is a pro and has not done anyone wrong. Therefore he shouldn’t be treated this way:
Whether you like Russell Wilson or not, Russell Wilson is a pro, Russell Wilson is accomplished veteran in this league. And has not done anybody wrong that we are aware of publicly. For Sean Payton to humiliate him in this manner is wrong.Craig Carton added
Russell Wilson’s future uncertain as Broncos face tough decision ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
As the Broncos could release the quarterback Wilson ahead of the NFL draft in March 2024, there have been quite a lot of decisions on which team Wilson could join for the next season. If the team releases him before June 1, Denver will have $68 million in dead money, unless the acquirer agrees to take care of the $22 million option bonus.
Russell Wilson (Via SI)
But if he refused to pick the bonus, the team that Wilson would join next would owe him $54 million over the next two seasons. However, trading Wilson could be quite tough on the franchise considering the huge money involved in the whole matter.As for Denver, they hold a top-15 pick in the 2024 NFL draft that is going to be held in April. They are likely to spend it on a good quarterback.
