The Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson has announced his retirement.

Wilson, 35, will not participate in the Broncos’ next two regular-season games, head coach Sean Payton informed the media on Wednesday following the team’s defeat to the New England Patriots on Christmas Eve. Although NFL.com’s odds now give the 7-8 club just a 7% chance of making the postseason, the team is still in the running to make the playoffs.

Wilson, who has started for Denver since the team acquired him in 2022, posted on X (previously known as Twitter) on Wednesday night, ostensibly in response to being benched. “God’s got me,” Wilson wrote. “Excited to see what comes next.”

Wilson has been married to Ciara since 2016, and as a sign of support for her husband, Ciara “liked” Wilson’s tweet.

Wilson has been responding to social media messages from supporters, experts, and former players after the club benched him, as seen by the “likes” on his X page. In one X post that Wilson “liked,” former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III wrote to Wilson on Wednesday, saying, “Mad respect for how you have handled this entire thing.”

Griffin said in his tweet that “you persisted in demonstrating respect even in the face of rudeness.” You guided your squad to victories while you were under attack. You never wavered in your efforts to strengthen your guys, even after you were destroyed. God is watching over you.”

A few months after joining the team in 2022, Wilson inked a five-year contract deal with Denver, which is anticipated to start the following season, as ESPN reported at the time. The Super Bowl-winning quarterback’s contract includes a clause that would pay him $37 million if he fails a physical by March 2024, according to ESPN. This has led to some conjecture that the Broncos’ personnel choice is motivated by a desire to keep Wilson healthy for the duration of the regular season.

When he revealed the quarterback change to reporters on Wednesday, Payton said, “Most of you know we’ve made a change at quarterback, and I realize all the conjecture and everything that accompanies a decision like that, and I can tell you, look, we’re desperately wanting to win.”

“Sure, economics and all those other factors are important in our game today, but the main motivation behind this—and this is a choice I’m making—is to generate a spark offensively,” he continued.

When the Broncos meet the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, Jarrett Stidham will get the start. Payton revealed that Wilson will be available as a backup in the meantime.

In Wilson’s two seasons as the starting quarterback for the Broncos, they have won 11 games and lost 19. Wilson spent his first ten seasons as a player with the Seattle Seahawks, where he won the 2014 Super Bowl, before moving to Denver.

Wilson and Ciara have a boy, Win Harrison, age 3, a daughter, Amora Princess, who was born this month, and a daughter, Sienna Princess, age 6. Ciara and her ex-boyfriend, rapper Future, have a nine-year-old child named Future Zahir.