Russell Wilson's Personal QB Coach Could be Muddying Broncos' Waters
Denver Broncos fans collectively cheered the 'Let Russ Cook' mantra after GM George Paton landed Russell Wilson in a blockbuster trade with the Seattle Seahawks this past offseason. Virtually overnight, the expectations for divisional and postseason success became the benchmark for the 2022 Broncos.
But what happens when there are too many cooks in the kitchen? Typically, it ruins the broth.
Wilson’s historically low output combined with Denver's 3-9 record has yielded less than five-star dining to a fan base that’s just hoping to get a morsel of something to eat at this point.
As currently constructed, head coach Nathaniel Hackett oversees the Wilson-led offense, while QBs coach/passing game coordinator Klint Kubiak is tasked with play calling, leaving offensive coordinator Justin Outten as seemingly just another voice in the headset.
But there’s another coach that has taken up residency at UCHealth Training Center. Not because he’s a member of the Broncos' coaching staff hired by Paton or Hackett, but simply because he's Wilson's personal QB coach.
Who is Jake Heaps?
Left: Jake Heaps Middle: Russell Wilson
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Heaps was an accomplished high school quarterback who won three state championships in Washington, making him the nation's top-rated prospect at the position. He played for BYU before transferring twice in two seasons to Kansas and Miami before declaring for the 2015 NFL draft.
Heaps finished his collegiate career throwing for 5,233 yards and 32 touchdowns with 27 interceptions and a 54.7 completion percentage. The 6-foot-1, 208-pound signal-caller went undrafted and was signed by the New York Jets in 2015 before joining the Seahawks the next season, where he’d cross paths with Wilson and become teammates.
Heaps also spent time in the CFL with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2017 before returning to the Seahawks for a second stint that same season. Heaps retired from professional football after being named an emergency practice squad QB for the BC Lions in 2017.
After hanging up his cleats, Heaps worked as a radio host on 710 ESPN in Seattle and began working with his former teammate as part of the Wilson Passing Academy. Heaps continued covering the Seahawks on Seattle radio before announcing last summer that he’d be leaving his media job to become Wilson’s full-time personal QB coach in Denver.
Nepotism in the Broncos QB Room
While some folks are up in arms over Wilson’s special treatment, which includes being granted his own office at Broncos HQ, I raise my eyebrows over his preferred QB coach. After Paton named Hackett as head coach of the Broncos, the coaching staff was quickly assembled long before Wilson came to Denver or offseason workouts began.
Kubiak, who spent the 2021 season calling plays for the Minnesota Vikings, was handpicked by Hackett and Paton to coordinate the Broncos' passing game and work directly with Wilson, a nine-time Pro Bowler. But before Kubiak could even get a rhythm and get to know his new QB, Heaps announced his new full-time position employed by Wilson.
“It is with mixed emotions that I tell you that I will no longer be able to host on Seattle Sports station,” Heaps said on June 15. “As we all know, Russell Wilson was traded and when this happened, I knew that my two careers that were perfectly aligned here in Seattle had become complicated. Speaking honestly, I’ve spent the past few months working through how to make both of those work, but it became clear that it just wasn’t going to be possible. I have resigned to pursue a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to coach Russell Wilson full-time and develop the next generation of quarterbacks.”
Wilson's move to bring Heaps along and interject him into Dove Valley business directly disrespects the team aspect of professional football and all but spat in the face of Broncos' coaching staff. Remember, Heaps cashes his paychecks issued by Wilson, not the Denver Broncos.
The arrogance of Wilson to hire Heaps after barely working with Kubiak in a minimal offseason and naming him as his personal guru just weeks before training camp began could be viewed as reckless and selfish. People can’t help but wonder how the day-to-day operations of the Broncos' offense work at UCHealth Training Center with Wilson and the handful of offensive coaches over there — plus Heaps.
Are Kubiak and Outten forced to work with Heaps by default? Are coaches and players excluded from the intricate relationship between Wilson and his close friend?
Are Kubiak and Outten allowed in Wilson’s personal office? After all, the Broncos invested a quarter of a billion dollars into ‘Mr. Unlimited’ before the regular season began, so it wasn’t surprising to see the former Super Bowl champion QB having his way.
Prior to training camp, Wilson paraded his ‘Team 3’ brand in Denver, celebrating their new move to a new team.
“Having an amazing team, my performance team comes with me everywhere I go. My assistant helps with everything,” Wilson said last June.
What wasn’t expected is the 13.8 points per game Wilson has presided over, which is the worst in the NFL this season and since 2000. In last week’s 10-9 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, the Broncos failed to get into the red zone or score a single touchdown. In fact, the Broncos have only scored three touchdowns since Halloween and haven’t won a football game on American soil since September 25.
Hackett and Paton continue to take legitimate shots of criticism from Broncos Country, and so should Wilson and Heaps.
Last summer, Heaps said this to USA TODAY:
“He’s one of the best in the world, so it’s not like you’re wholesale trying to change everything every year, it’s just trying to make him 1% better every year and find ways where he can be better and stay sharp and be on top of things.”
Nobody saw the Broncos having a sixth straight losing season in a row with Wilson at the helm of an historically putrid offense, but viewing Heaps' remarks in hindsight, Wilson is in need of more than a minimal percentage of improvement to bring the Broncos back to winning football.
The Broncos would be wise to put their foot down, starting with denying Heaps access to the building. Kubiak is the play caller, Outten is the OC, and if Wilson and his 'team' can’t accept that, then they should prepare themselves for a tainted legacy of losing to punctuate his career because of hubris.
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