On Monday morning, Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton officially stated that Jarrett Stidham will start the team’s season finale against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday.

Payton revealed last Wednesday that he will bench Russell Wilson and start Stidham against the Los Angeles Chargers. Payton recently announced that Stidham will remain the starter for the season’s final game, with Russell Wilson serving as the backup.

This decision could spell the end of Russell Wilson’s time with the Broncos, particularly if the organization decides to release him in the offseason. Payton stressed that no definitive decision on Wilson’s future has been made, and that discussions concerning roster decisions will take place after the season with general manager George Paton and owner/CEO Greg Penner.

Payton had benched Wilson the week before, hoping to inject “spark” into the offense by naming Stidham the starter. In his third career start in four years, Stidham guided the Broncos to a 16-9 victory over the Chargers while committing no turnovers. He completed 20-of-32 passes for 224 yards, including a 54-yard touchdown strike to Lil’Jordan Humphrey, who demonstrated his athleticism with many broken tackles on the play.

Payton lauded Stidham’s overall performance, stressing his decision-making, ball security, and positive contributions to the team despite several missed opportunities in the red zone. The upcoming game against the Raiders will be a more difficult test, as they have the league’s 10th-ranked pass defense and 8th-ranked scoring defense.

The Broncos are desperate to snap a seven-game losing streak against the Raiders and conclude the season 9-8. Payton stated that there are no plans to rest healthy players, underlining the significance of winning the final game and earning a winning record for the first time since 2016.