Sean Payton was not hired to “fix” QB Russell Wilson
Many are pinning the hire of Sean Payton on the idea that he was hired to fix quarterback Russell Wilson, but that is not true. Russell Wilson was so bad in 2022 that people have not only soured on the player, but some even went as far as taking shots at him as a person.
A lot of the criticism of Wilson was wildly inappropriate, and it’s weird that it got tangled in with his play, which definitely needs to be better.
When the team made the trade for Sean Payton, many began linking the two parties together. I even saw Emmanuel Acho on “Speak” talk about how the Broncos made the move for Payton to “fix” Wilson, but that’s not the case.
Sean Payton was not hired to “fix” QB Russell Wilson
Payton is apparently going to sign a five-year deal with the Broncos to be their head coach, and he is 59 years old. Right off the bat, it’s extremely likely that Sean Payton outlasts Russell Wilson in Denver.
He has a 15-year head coaching career that saw him win over 60% of his games and a Super Bowl title. His sustained success in the NFL is something that only a few other coaches in the NFL can say they have. It’s likely that Payton remains the head coach of the Broncos until he decides to retire, perhaps in 10 or so years.
Secondly, we know that Payton was apparently the third choice of the Broncos, behind DeMeco Ryans and Jim Harbaugh.
If the Payton hire was to “fix” Russell Wilson, why would he have been the third choice of the team? Fixing Wilson is urgent, and Payton seems like he was by far the best candidate the team interviewed to do the fixing.
Again, why would he then be the third choice?
Not only that, but Sean Payton consistently put together elite offenses in New Orleans, and that’s something the Broncos have needed for years, so his sustained offensive success was likely another huge reason why the team made the deal.
To me, this hire has nothing to do with Russell Wilson and more to do with putting together the most competitive Denver Broncos team possible.