After a disastrous maiden voyage with future Hall of Fame quarterback Russell Wilson last season, the Denver Broncos had some new hope when they hired head coach Sean Payton, who had guided Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints to a Super Bowl championship during the 2009 campaign.
After a 1-5 start this season, Denver won five games in a row and suddenly had a real shot at making the playoffs. But with three losses in its last five games, it has been eliminated from playoff contention.
A subplot to the disappointment that has been the 2023 season for the Broncos has been some comments Payton has made, particularly about Wilson. Kareem Jackson, a safety who they recently released, had some harsh words for Payton.
𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚: Recently released #Broncos safety Kareem Jackson agrees with Ryan Clark that Sean Payton has been acting like a thug since becoming HC of the team.
“🗣️🗣️ da truth RC”
Another former Bronco, Randy Gregory, also agreed with Ryan Clark. pic.twitter.com/05kw6FE6ia
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) December 29, 2023
Before the start of this season, Payton ripped Nathaniel Hackett, who was the Broncos’ head coach last season. Ironically, Hackett, who is now the offensive coordinator for the New York Jets, got the last laugh when his team defeated Denver 31-21 in Week 5.
Sean Payton just lost to Nathaniel Hackett and the Jets.
These were Payton's comments before the season… pic.twitter.com/xgDw0E6kGB
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) October 8, 2023
Then came his not-so-nice comments about Wilson. Many have criticized the coach for those comments, as it clearly isn’t a normal way for a head coach to treat his signal-caller, especially one who once led the Seattle Seahawks to a world title.
Payton’s comments notwithstanding, that trade with the Seahawks in the spring of 2022 is looking like a big mistake, even to the biggest Broncos partisans who truly believed the team would contend this season. The Broncos gave up three players and five draft picks, and one of those picks yielded rookie Pro Bowl cornerback Devon Witherspoon.
Furthermore, they simply haven’t had nearly enough support or talent around Wilson, and furthermore, Wilson is 35 years of age. It’s anyone’s guess how much he has left in the tank at this point.
The team recently decided to bench him for its final two games of the season, and now rumor has it the team will part ways with him during the offseason.
