The Denver Broncos have to upgrade the backup QB position in 2023, and they’ve got the right man in the head coach’s chair to do exactly that. Sean Payton has a history of putting QBs in position to succeed, believe it or not, even though there are many people on the internet who would lead you to believe differently.
But Sean Payton had Drew Brees while he was in New Orleans! That’s not fair! He rode the coattails of a Hall of Fame QB to all his head coaching success!
Broncos HC Sean Payton has made a habit of making QBs money
How quickly fans seem to forget history. When Sean Payton and the Saints struck a deal with Drew Brees, he was a castoff of the San Diego Chargers. He was damaged goods. The Chargers didn’t want him. He hit free agency, for crying out loud.
Under Sean Payton, Brees went on to become a Hall of Fame QB who made over $256 million over the course of his career with the Saints.
How about some others? After going 5-0 in a stint with Payton and the Saints following a gruesome injury he suffered in Minnesota, Teddy Bridgewater hit free agency and signed a three-year deal worth $63 million in Carolina.
Jameis Winston — a former number one overall pick who walked the plank in Tampa Bay — parlayed a seven-game hot streak with the Saints in 2021 into a two-year deal worth $28 million.
Taysom Hill, who isn’t even a quarterback really, has made almost $32 million in his NFL career thanks to Sean Payton putting him in positions to have success.
Needless to say, it wouldn’t be shocking in the slightest if Payton were able to lure a reclamation project to the Denver Broncos in 2023 as Russell Wilson’s backup. Although Wilson didn’t have the highest-profile backups while he was in Seattle, that could end up changing dramatically this year in Denver because Sean Payton has somewhat of a history of bringing in high-profile guys.
Which quarterbacks could be available in 2023 and would fit this “reclamation” label?