The Denver Broncos are looking to make their first playoff appearance since the franchise won its third Super Bowl in 2015. Since then things have been a mess in the Mile High City, with 13 starting QBs since Peyton Manning went off into the sunset following that Super Bowl season. Last year was supposed to bring new direction and results after the team traded for former Seattle Seahawks star quarterback Russell Wilson.
He, along with then-first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett were thought to be a can’t-miss duo. That didn’t come to fruition, and Hackett was fired with three games left in the season.
Getting rid of Hackett was much easier than trying unload Wilson and his massive five-year, $245 million extension he signed prior to the season. In retrospect, both Wilson and Hackett were bad last season, but the Broncos are fully vested in seeing things through with Wilson, who’s a proven winner, having made the playoffs eight of his ten seasons in Seattle, playing in two Super Bowls and winning one.
But in order to get Wilson back on track, the team figured it needed a proven coach, not someone like Hackett who’d never been a head coach prior to landing the Broncos gig.
John Elway Loves The Sean Payton Addition
Although he’s no longer with the team after two stints as GM, Broncos legend John Elway will forever be entrenched in the team some way or another. The two-time Super Bowl champion recently took some time to talk to ABC 7 Denver during the American Century Championship golf tournament at Lake Tahoe, and he had a lot to say.
“I am excited. He’s a perfect fit for where we are right now, where the Broncos are right now. Obviously, he has a lot of skins on the wall,” Elway said on Thursday. “He won a Super Bowl before and won a ton of football games. I don’t think there could be a better fit. I think he will be great.”
Elway also stated that he knows it’s gonna take some time with the nuances of learning a new system. But he’s also confident in what this team can be because of Payton’s leadership and experience.
“Sean has a great feel for the QB position. He’s so knowledgeable on the offensive side. I think he knows what Russell will do the best. Like every good football team, we have to try and run the football and run it successfully. And if we do that, it gives Russell a much better chance to be successful in the passing game,” Elway said.
Payton Knows Success, So Does Wilson
In 15 seasons as the Saints sideline stalker, Payton compiled a 152-89 record, good enough for a 63 percent winning percentage. He won his only Super Bowl appearance, upsetting the Colts and the aforementioned Manning in an epic Super Sunday matchup. Following the 2021 season, Payton decided to take a season off. He went into the studio in 2022, but he couldn’t resist the urge to coach again, and now he’s back on the sidelines.
As for Wilson, he’s fresh off arguably his worst season of his great career. But he still possesses a glowing record as a starting QB, going 108-64-1, but just 4-11 in his inaugural season in Denver.
The pressure is on both Payton and Wilson, but for Wilson, with that huge contract, this could be a make-or-break season for him.
