Russell Wilson Trade Branded "Worst Of All Time" By Former GM

Experts have started to declare the Broncos' decision to trade for Russell Wilson "the worst of all time". The moniker comes after Wilson was benched and reportedly expects to be cut in the offseason. "When you add the contract and the trade, it's the worst of all time," former Browns GM Micheal Lombardi told TMZ. The Broncos gave up multiple first-round picks, multiple second-round picks, and three players to acquire Wilson. The Broncos then gave Wilson a $245M contract.

But Wilson was not the player that the Broncos thought they were trading for. Wilson struggled massively in 2022 and while he has improved in 2023, he has not turned the Broncos into a playoff contender. While there are front-office financial issues, the Broncos have claimed benching Wilson was purely a football decision. "I understand all the speculation and everything that surrounds a move like that. I can tell you -- look, we're desperately trying to win. Sure, in our game today there are economics and all those other things. But the No. 1 push behind this -- and it's a decision I'm making -- is to get a spark offensively," head coach Sean Payton said.

Jarrett Stidham Taking Over For Russell Wilson

With Wilson benched, for football or financial reasons, Jarrett Stidham takes over for the rest of the regular season. Stidham signed a two-year, $10 million contract with Denver in the offseason but will be making his first start of the season this week. "Obviously it's difficult and all of us feel like, 'Man, we didn't do well enough'. But one of the things we saw when we signed Stidham in the offseason is not only film from preseason games, but regular-season games. He's a guy that I'm anxious to see play," Payton said.

After stints at Baylor and Auburn, Stidham was a fourth-round draft pick in 2019 by New England. After appearing in eight games over three seasons, he was traded to Las Vegas in 2022. There he made his first two career starts, replacing Derek Carr for the final two games of the regular season. Despite going 0-2, Stidham impressed the league, especially as he helped take the 49ers to overtime in his first start. His first start in Denver comes against the Chargers.

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