In anticipation of a decision regarding Russell Wilson's future with the team, the Denver Broncos benched the nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback for Sunday's matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers.
On Wednesday morning, Broncos head coach Sean Payton told the squad that Jarrett Stidham will start on Sunday, with Wilson filling in as the backup.
The switch to Wilson at quarterback gives the Broncos more financial flexibility in the upcoming offseason. Should Wilson fail a physical by early March, he will receive an additional $37 million in guaranteed money. That guarantee may be activated by Wilson suffering an injury in either of Denver's final two games of the season.
Wilson signed a five-year, $242.6 million deal in 2022; he will earn a guaranteed $39 million in salary next season 2024.
Indeed, economics and all those other elements are a part of today's game, according to Payton. However, the main motivation for this—and this is a choice I'm making—is to generate an offensive spark.
Later, Wilson, 35, posted on social media that he was "looking forward to what's next" in his professional life.
The switch to Stidham might also give Denver's offense, which has struggled for the majority of the season, a boost. Despite losing three of their last four games, the Broncos (7-8) still have a remote chance of making the postseason.
After learning of Wilson's benching on Wednesday afternoon, the Broncos' 5-point lead against the Chargers was reduced to a 3-point advantage.
In terms of scoring (21.8 points per game), third down efficiency (36.7%), goal-to-go scenarios (53.6%), and passing efficiency (187.5 yards per game), the Broncos rank 16th in the league.
With 26, Wilson is tied for sixth place in the league in touchdowns, but he ranks 18th in passing yards and has only had one 300-yard performance this year, in the Broncos' 70-20 defeat to the Dolphins.
It's challenging, without a doubt, and we all feel as though we didn't perform well enough, Payton said. However, we watched footage from both regular-season and preseason games when we signed Stidham in the summer. I'm excited to watch this guy play.
The biggest roster choice the Broncos have to make in the summer will be what they do with Wilson going forward. In the event that Wilson is cut, the Broncos would be hit with record-breaking dead money penalties totaling $85 million over the 2024 and 2025 seasons. They also have just six draft picks in April and no second-round pick.
After the Patriots' loss on Sunday night, Wilson was asked about his future and stated that his only concerns were for the upcoming week and doing well on the field.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens are tuning out the hype that they are the best team in the NFL, a week after Jackson felt disrespected about being the underdog against the San Francisco 49ers.
Jackson stated on Wednesday that maintaining composure is crucial for us at this time as the story is shifting.
We therefore don't give that any thought. That seems like clickbait to me—bait. We will take each game as it comes because, as I mentioned earlier, our goal is to make it to February.
The Ravens, with a 12-3, own the best record in the NFL following their 33-19 victory over the 49ers on Monday night. After winning seven straight games against teams that currently have winning records by a margin of at least 14 points, Baltimore is atop almost every power poll, including news8.in.
In addition, Jackson is currently the frontrunner to win NFL MVP, but he claimed the Ravens don't view themselves as the team to beat.
On our team, on both sides of the ball, I think we have a number of individuals who have been questioned and a number of guys who have things to prove, Jackson said. We'll always step up to the plate, in my opinion, even when we're the underdogs. But we have to remain confined to accomplish that.
Another twist has emerged in the peculiar season of Jaire Alexander. The Green Bay Packers suspended him for one game three days after he declared himself as one of the team's captains and then committed what head coach Matt LaFleur called "a big mistake" by almost losing the coin toss.
Due to behavior deemed harmful to the team by the team, he was placed on the reserve/suspended list on Wednesday.
General manager of the Packers Brian Gutekunst said in a statement that the decision to ban a player is never simple and is not something we take lightly.
Regretfully, we had to take this measure because of Jaire's behavior before the game in Carolina. We expect everyone in our organization to prioritize the team. Despite our disappointment, Jaire and I had a productive chat this morning, and we anticipate that he will use this as a lesson as we go forward together. He is a valued member of our team and will remain so in the future, so we are excited to have him back next week.
The Packers' 33-30 victory over the Carolina Panthers set up Sunday's clash between the two 7-8 teams fighting for an NFC wild-card slot at the Minnesota Vikings, which is effectively a postseason elimination game. Thus, Alexander won't be facing the Vikings' standout receiver.
We don't take our current situation lightly, and it was undoubtedly a difficult decision, LaFleur stated on Wednesday. However, there are standards for which we are all responsible, and regrettably, there are instances in which extreme actions must be taken. I would state, though, that we are anticipating his return and are eager for him to do so. We talked for a very long time this morning. Though it hurts now, I believe that in the long run, it was incredibly beneficial, and that we will all be the better for it going forward.
Following Sunday's game against Carolina, LaFleur was not happy with Alexander. Before the game, Alexander, a native of Charlotte, strolled to midfield alongside Aaron Jones, Quay Walker, and Eric Wilson, the three Packers game captains. This year, the Packers used a weekly rotation in lieu of selecting captains for the entire season.
Alexander won the toss by calling tails. Then he clarified that the Packers' desire to play defense was distinct from their decision to postpone it until the second half. Alexander could have called for the kickoff, which would have given Carolina possession of the ball to begin both halves, according to referee Alex Kemp.
Kemp clarified that Alexander wanted to defer, though, since LaFleur told him at the pregame discussion with the officials that the Packers would defer if they won the toss.
After Alexander's call game, LaFleur commented, "That was a big mistake." You go over that with the guys before they play each time, saying, "Hey, we win the toss, we're going to defer." We always strive to be proactive in that approach since we had an instance earlier this year where we had a similar problem.
After the game, Alexander showed no signs of regret or guilt. Alexander answered, "It's just suiting," when asked why he went out with the captains. Coach may not have been aware that I was from Charlotte, so...
Alexander hadn't suit up for a game since his shoulder injury against the Rams on November 5. That was Sunday. He had been practicing sparingly, though, and his lack of activity week after week raised doubts as to whether there was another reason besides his injury that was keeping him out of action. However, Alexander and those close to him maintained that the problem was injury-related rather than a matter of grievance with the company.
LaFleur added that Alexander's injury prevented him from playing, and that this had nothing to do with the suspension. LaFleur stated on Wednesday, "It's never for one thing." However, as I previously stated, I believe there are many lessons to be learned from all parties engaged along the process, and hopefully we do. I believe we will. Going ahead, I believe there will most likely be improved communication.
Ja is going to be around for a while, in my opinion. He's a fantastic player who is only trying to go past this and learn from it so that we can all go on and get better.
Alexander will miss one week of salary. At $21 million per season, Alexander is the highest paid cornerback in the NFL. His base salary is $1.08 million, thus he will only lose $60,000 (his weekly game check) plus the $38,235 he receives in weekly roster bonuses if he plays. This is because the majority of his income came from signing and roster bonuses.
This spring, Alexander forfeited a $700,000 exercise bonus as well by choosing to forego the majority of the offseason regimen. Alexander had stayed in town after the previous season but had gone before the optional workouts started in April. He stated as much when he reported for the team's required minicamp in June, saying he would rather be in Green Bay when nobody else was at the team facilities.
This season, in six games, he has intercepted zero passes and broken up four others. Alexander was selected to the All-Pro second team twice (2020, 2022).
Alexander's future with the Packers is clouded by this occurrence. In 2024, he will receive a salary and bonus of $16 million. In March, a $8 million roster bonus is expected for him. The Packers would save up $1.636 million in salary cap space if they cut him before then.
Daniel Snyder's three minority partners were forced to sell their ownership of the Washington Commanders back to Snyder at a valuation significantly lower than the record $6.05 billion that Snyder was previously valued at, according to a long-standing former minority partner of Snyder's who filed a federal lawsuit against Bank of America on Wednesday paid for the team.
Black Diamond Capital's chairman and CEO, Robert Rothman, a billionaire from Tampa, Florida, claims that Bank of America, Snyder, and NFL officials—none of whom are listed as defendants in the lawsuit—"conspired" to pressure him and his two other minority partners to sell their 40% stake to Snyder for $875 million in April 2021. The lawsuit claims that the transaction price represented a team valuation of less than $3 billion. The lawsuit asserts that Snyder's $6.05 billion sale of the Commanders in July 2023 marked the apex of his conspiratorial actions with [Bank of America].
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