ENGLEWOOD – The Broncos were coming off a big 24-9 win over Kansas City on Oct. 29, breaking a 16-game losing streak to the Chiefs. They were in their bye week when quarterback Russell Wilson a few days later got some unexpected news.

Wilson on Friday discussed how Broncos officials shortly after that game threatened to bench him for the remainder of the season if he didn’t alter an injury guarantee in his contract. No move ended up being made then with nine games remaining, but he was benched on Wednesday with two games left. Head coach Sean Payton announced then that backup Jarrett Stidham will start Sunday’s home game against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Wilson, 35, has a $37 million guarantee for the 2025 season that would be invoked if he is still on the roster March 17, the fifth day of the new league year. It is guaranteed for injury.

“They came up to me during the bye week and beginning of the bye week, Monday or Tuesday, they told me if I didn’t change my contract, my injury guarantee, that I’d be benched the rest of the year,” Wilson said after Friday’s practice at the Centura Health Training Center. “I was definitely disappointed about it. It was a process for the whole bye week. We had just come off beating the Chiefs, I was excited for us fighting for the playoffs and getting on a hot streak. … I was definitely surprised.”

A source said the Broncos wanted Wilson then to push his $37 million contract guarantee for 2025 back about a year to March 2025.

Most observers believe the benching of Wilson will result in him not being back in Denver next season. However, he said he wants to return.

“I hope that it’s here,’’ Wilson said. “I hope that it’s here for a long time. I hope we win some more silverware in the front hallway (of the training facility) and we get some more championships. And if it’s not here, then I’ll be prepared to do that somewhere else. But I hope that it’s here and I really do genuinely mean that, and so I brought my family here (to Denver after being acquired from Seattle in March 2022) and everything else.”

Wilson remains under a long-term contract, so the ball is in Denver’s court. If the Broncos release him before March 17, they still will owe him a guaranteed $39 million for the 2024 season.

Before Wilson spoke, Payton was asked whether Wilson had been approached during the bye week about altering next March’s guarantee date.

“I’m not privy to any of those (discussions),’’ said Denver’s first-year coach. “I’m handling the football. … That’s something (involving general manager) George (Paton) and the front office. I’m not involved in any of that. … My focus has been on winning. … This decision (on benching Wilson) strictly is what I believe gives us a chance to win.”

Paton declined comment. Wilson said the NFL Players Association became involved in the matter, but he did not offer specifics.

“It definitely hurt,’’ Wilson said of the Broncos threatening to bench him. “It was a low blow.”

The Broncos approached Wilson after they had started 1-5 and moved to 3-5 after the win over the Chiefs. They eventually extended the winning streak to five games to get to 6-5.

However, they have lost three of their last four games and are all but out of the playoff race entering games against the Chargers and at Las Vegas on Jan. 6 or 7. But the possibility of a winning season remains.

Payton reiterated Friday that Wilson will serve as the backup quarterback against the Chargers. Wilson said he was “definitely disappointed” at being benched but will support Stidham.

“I told Jarrett I’d help him and do whatever it takes to keep the guys going,’’ Wilson said. “We’re all in this together and I want us to be able to walk off the field as a winner as a team.”

Wilson didn’t deny it was tough after the Broncos threatened to bench him after the Chiefs game and not knowing what the future held.

“The definitely told me I was going to the bench, but that whole week I didn’t know what was going to end up being the case,’’ Wilson said. “I was going to be ready to play. I wanted to go to Buffalo and beat Buffalo.”

The Broncos did just that in a 24-22 win on Nov. 13, their first game after the threatened benching. Wilson was happy with the win but still unsure about his future.

“It was challenging for sure, but at the same time I got a job to do,’’ Wilson said of the games going by after the threatened benching. “At the end of the day, I just want to keep my head down and do what I can do each play.”

Wilson said he didn’t consider changing the language in his contract that the Broncos requested.

“I just wasn’t going to take away the injury guarantee,’’ he said. “The game is such a physical game. It matters to me.”

Wilson was asked if there is anything he is willing to do with his contract to help his chances of returning to the Broncos in 2024. However, he sidestepped the question.

“I think the focus for me is this week and to try to be the best teammate I can be this week,’’ Wilson said.

After making nine Pro Bowls in 10 seasons with Seattle and leading the Seahawks to a Super Bowl win, Wilson was traded to Denver in 2022 for a bevy of players and draft picks, including two in the first round and two in the second round. He signed a five-year, $245 million contract extension before playing in his first game for the Broncos.

Wilson struggled last season under head coach Nathaniel Hackett, throwing 16 touchdowns with 11 interceptions and having a career-low passer rating of 84.4. He has been much better this season, having thrown 26 TDs and eight interceptions and having a passer rating of 98.0. But Payton has been outspoken about the offense often not being up to his standards, especially with the Broncos having lost three of their last four.

Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson is pressured during a Dec. 16 game against the Lions in Detroit.

The Associated Press

Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson acknowledges the fans as he leaves the field after the team’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Dec. 10 in Inglewood, Calif. The Broncos won 24-7.

The Associated Press