In an interview with Peter King, Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton had a lot to say, but what he said about Russell Wilson really stands out. Payton seems to be very, very confident in his quarterback for the 2023 NFL season, and that should excite every single Broncos fan.
Payton was traded from the New Orleans Saints to the Denver Broncos earlier this year, and he's exactly what the franchise needed. He's a proven head coach and a future Hall of Fame coach at that. He's won at the highest level and is easily one of the best offensive minds perhaps of all time.
Sean Payton has enacted much-needed change within the team. Much of what was done last year is not being done this year. The offense seems to be more efficient and the defense is filled with solid veterans. However, no matter how good the rest of the team is, the Broncos will not win games unless they have solid QB play.
And well, Denver thought they had decent QB play when they traded for Russell Wilson. However, Wilson was atrocious in 2022, but a ton went wrong that year, so I don't think the veteran QB should be primarily responsible for what happened in 2022. Nathaniel Hackett's incompetence and overall lack of an identity throughout the whole roster was the least of what went wrong last year.
Well, Sean Payton himself seems to think the most important position on this roster is in a good spot. In fact, what Payton recently said in an interview with Peter King should be very encouraging:
"“And so, I don’t see any physical limitation that’s different from ’20 or even ’21. I see that player,” Payton told King. “And so, not rehashing last season — because clearly, it was different, all of us saw it and it was like it was almost like the weekly update. And I get it, you know, because, look, you and I both know what sells. It’s the fantastic stories, or the ‘Holy cow, what’s going on?’ Everything else in the middle doesn’t do it.”Sean Payton
“I would say this: He’s going to be a lot closer to those 2021 numbers than the 2022 numbers, just because I’m seeing it.""
Let's break this quote down a bit. Payton notes that he doesn't see any sort of physical difference between 2020 and 2021. In those two years, Russell Wilson put up the following numbers:
67.1% completion, 7,325 yards, 65 touchdowns, 19 interceptions, 104.2 passer rating.
Russell Wilson's 2020 season was probably the best of his career. He threw for 40 touchdowns and 4,212 yards. These two years were the normal, vintage Russell Wilson. He made plays with his legs and threw the ball down the field a lot to his pass catchers. Payton also said pretty bluntly that Wilson is going to be closer to his 2021 numbers than 2022, which is also very encouraging to read.
When you consider that Sean Payton is the architect behind this offense and the play-caller, who else would you need to hear this from? The most important person to the Denver Broncos in 2023 is pretty plainly telling the NFL world that Russell Wilson is going to be back to his normal self in 2023, which is amazing to hear.