Benching of Russell Wilson ‘a surprise to everybody in our locker room’

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Broncos players didn’t walk into their team meeting expecting to hear that Sean Payton was making a quarterback change from Russell Wilson to Jarrett Stidham.

Because while those viewing from outside — or even upstairs at Centura Health Training Center — disseminate aspects like player contracts and the implications of terms like the $37 million of base salary that becomes guaranteed on March 17, the ground-level vantage for players is considerably different. It’s much more moment-to-moment.

So, even amidst emerging reports that a parting of the ways has been in the works for months, the actual news was a thunderbolt.

“I think it was a surprise to everybody in our locker room,” wide receiver Jerry Jeudy said.

Jerry Jeudy says he felt the decision to bench Russell Wilson “was a surprise to everybody in our locker room.” … “He (Payton) just told us out of nowhere. So, I was pretty surprised having Russ our starting the quarterback the whole year, then the last 2 games, being a switch.“ pic.twitter.com/3FSYbh3DRo

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) December 28, 2023

Most Wednesday meetings involve laying the groundwork for the points of emphasis in the days that follow. This one brought an earthquake.

“He (Payton) just told us out of nowhere,” Jeudy added. “So, I was pretty surprised having Russ our starting the quarterback the whole year, then the last two games, being a switch.”

‘A WEIRD DAY’

Right tackle Mike McGlinchey has spoken of the belief that Wilson espouses in the huddle, even when behind. He spoke of that after the 31-28 comeback win in Chicago that saw the Broncos rally from a 28-7 third-quarter deficit.

“Obviously, sucks. It’s a weird day,” McGlinchey said. “It’s obviously something that I wasn’t necessarily expecting, but you’ve got to believe in what the coaching staff believes in, and what Sean’s doing.”

Mike McGlinchey, on offering support to Russell Wilson after the decision today: “It’s a really tough deal. Because there’s nobody that wants to be great more than Russell. The work ethic that he has and the toughness that he has has really rubbed off on me and …” pic.twitter.com/GfYppCWPL6

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) December 28, 2023

And it’s not that Jarrett Stidham is incapable of putting the same kind of mindset into a huddle. But with just two career starts, he is tabula rasa. No one knows what his time will yield.

And ultimately, Broncos players must accept the move.

“Just a different day, and something that, like I said, it’s not my call, not anybody else in this locker room’s call,” McGlinchey said. “It’s just — we’ve got to go out and play.”

“If it’s what they thought was best upstairs, then it’s what they thought was best,” tight end Adam Trautman added.

RUSSELL WILSON FEELS THE BUSINESS END OF THE NFL

But at the same time, benchings like the one absorbed by Russell Wilson are part of NFL life. It’s just that for a quarterback — particularly one with nine Pro Bowl appearances and a Super Bowl win as a starter on his ledger — the demotion plays out under a considerably different spotlight.

Broncos TE Adam Trautman, on moving forward after the change from Russell Wilson: “I think this is … the nature of the business, and you just kind of roll with it. Anything could happen at any point. … You’ve just gotta block it out and keep rolling.” pic.twitter.com/e64cwIcOW6

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) December 28, 2023

“It’s just the nature of the league,” Trautman said. “Just decisions, whatever the case may be, but, yeah, we just roll with it. All the other players, all the other guys, we’re just rolling with it.”

But at the same time, the benching of a quarterback doesn’t happen in a vacuum. And while Payton spoke of the need to generate a “spark” in the offense, it’s fair to speculate whether that sentiment would have been the same if, say, Marvin Mims Jr. didn’t fumble a kickoff … or the defense didn’t allow the Patriots to march into field-goal range in the dying seconds Sunday night.

For safety Justin Simmons, the move leads to self-reflection.

“When decisions like this are made, the first thing I think about is what could I have done better to help,” he said. “And you never want to see anyone lose their job in a sense.

“So, from my perspective, defensively, I just wish there was more that we could have done to be able to help.”