Russell Wilson Rumor Casts Doubt on Broncos' Pursuit of Sean Payton

Russell Wilson will influence the Denver Broncos' head-coaching hire one way or another.

Is Russell Wilson fixable? 

It's one of the big questions surrounding the Denver Broncos' pivotal 2023 offseason, and it underlines every head-coaching interview the team hosts. On December 27, Broncos GM George Paton professed his, and the team's, belief that Wilson is "fixable." 

Not everyone is so convinced, however. And as the most coveted head-coaching candidates in the 2023 NFL hiring cycle mull over which opportunities to prioritize, some league circles are doubtful that one coach, in particular, would want to get entangled with Wilson. 

That would be former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton. Or, at least, that is according to ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler. 

Sean Payton is a good match in that he's the best coach available and Denver -- which offers stable ownership and a roster with talent -- is drawn to that. But some around the league are skeptical about whether Payton wants to tie his future to Russell Wilson, who struggled mightily in 2022, though he improved late in the year. A massive six-year deal can assuage any concerns if Payton wants to wait out Wilson and develop another quarterback eventually. The organization has shown little patience with head coaches, six of whom have been fired since 2009. John Fox was the only coach to last longer years, and he got to a Super Bowl. Payton might opt for more stable ground elsewhere.

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Whether or not Wilson is 'washed' is a nagging question for NFL analysts and executives alike. Let's not forget, though; he finished his lackluster 2022 campaign strong, throwing for 505 passing yards and four touchdowns, with two interceptions, in the two games after the Broncos fired Nathaniel Hackett. 

The implication is obvious: Hackett might not have been the only factor holding Wilson back, but the failed head coach was complicit in a big way. A head coach as savvy as Payton would recognize that right away. 

Plus, money talks, and you-know-what walks. If the billionaire Walton/Penner ownership group in Denver were of a mind to make Payton the highest-paid head coach in NFL history and give him, as Fowler projects, a six-year deal, that would be a hefty incentive to roll up his sleeves and dive headlong into figuring out whether a 34-year-old quarterback who went to nine Pro Bowls in his first 11 seasons is washed up. 

In his recruitment of Drew Brees — a quarterback most of the NFL viewed as damaged goods on the 2006 free-agent market — Payton was unflinching. Brees' shoulder injury — suffered at the end of the 2005 season — was severe and career-threatening, but Wilson's down year amid palpable coaching incompetence is going to scare Payton off? 

It's also worth noting that Wilson knows Payton. The veteran QB gushed on his experience being coached by Payton during the Pro Bowl on Sunday. 

"I've been around Sean, obviously at the Pro Bowl," Wilson said. "I’ve been around him across the league and I’ve played against them quite a bit. He's one of the world's best, obviously, a guy who has coached a Hall of Fame quarterback in Drew Brees, who was one of my closest friends and the guy that got to know across the league and so many other great players. He's competitive as can be, he's a winner and obviously won a Super Bowl, and then at the highest level, I was able to be around him at the Pro Bowl and just the wizardry that you would have on the field was just magnificent."

No doubt, the Wilson issue will be a hot topic of conversation in the Broncos' head-coaching interviews, but I'm more inclined to view his resume, as tarnished as it has been by his 2022 campaign, as more of a pro than a con, in the grand scheme of things. I doubt Wilson would make Payton flinch, if all the other factors lined up, like his compensation package with the Broncos, and the Saints agreeing to specific terms in a trade for his rights. 

The same goes for Jim Harbaugh, who's reportedly at the top of the Broncos' head-coaching list after interviewing with the club for two-plus hours on Monday evening. It was a virtual interview, and the buzz coming out of it was that Harbaugh now tops the Walton/Penner group's wishlist. 

Denver can't meet with Payton for an in-person interview until January 17, so the Wilson question, among others, won't likely be answered for some time yet. For now, I'd caution Broncos Country from falling prey to the Wilson-is-radioactive tropes in NFL media. 

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