Did Sean Payton Really 'Sabotage' Russell Wilson?

It's time to examine the situation the Denver Broncos find themselves in with Russell Wilson.

The conversation surrounding the Denver Broncos has not been their hopes of making the playoffs for the first time in seven years being ripped away but rather the Sean Payton/Russell Wilson rift. Payton made the bombshell decision to bench Wilson last week, and backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham started in his place in a victorious outing vs. the Los Angeles Chargers.

Broncos Country is fighting amongst itself on the question of who's to blame for the offense not thriving as it should be. Is it Payton or Wilson? Many claim that Payton "sabotaged" Russ. 

Let’s try to answer that question by looking back at how Wilson became a Bronco, what led to his benching, and his possible release in the offseason.

10 Years in Seattle

Wilson had a stellar career with the Seattle Seahawks under head coach Pete Carroll. Wilson's Seahawks made the playoffs all but one out of his 10 years and won a Super Bowl.

There was no reason to believe Wilson would ever leave the Seahawks, but his last few years changed the perspective. A report from The Athletic was released in February of 2023 that claimed Wilson pushed for the firing of Carroll, the hiring of Payton in his place, and the firing of GM John Schneider.

'Let Russ Cook' was coined within the Seahawks fan base to urge Carroll to let Wilson throw the ball more often, as some fans felt he needed to air it out more. Tensions had been high due to Wilson wanting more say in the organization, whether coaching, play calls, or free agents, and also his public complaints about being hit and sacked too much.

The relationship hit a breaking point, and Wilson was traded to the Broncos for a haul of first and second-round picks, plus more draft capital and three players. He was also given a five-year, $245 million extension, with $165M fully guaranteed, without even taking a snap.

Year 1 in Denver

Wilson was given much more freedom in his first year in Denver than he'd had previously in Seattle. He was given an office on the same floor as the Broncos coaches and executives rather than being present in the locker room. 

Wilson also had his personal support staff around the building, including his private throwing coach. Then-head coach Nathaniel Hackett gave Russell maximum input on how he wanted to run the offense, calling it a "co-authoring" effort.

Wilson put on 15  pounds and wanted to play as a pocket passer like Peyton Manning or Tom Brady despite that not being his strong suit. 'Let Russ Cook' was finally getting put to use. It proved a colossal mistake, as the Broncos finished with a 5-12 record, and Hackett was fired.

Wilson finished with career-lows in touchdown passes (16) and completion percentage (60.5%). Steering away from using his legs and working outside the structure of a play, which he had done his whole career, was head-scratching, and it tanked his, and subsequently, the Broncos' season.

Hackett was a walking doormat of a coach as he let Wilson do whatever he wanted and didn’t step in where he needed to. Hackett was jettisoned after the Broncos were embarrassed on Christmas Day by the Los Angeles Rams, who picked off Wilson three times and won 51-14.

Throughout the 2022 season, the talking heads and national media absolutely clowned and destroyed Wilson for his play on the field and his “corny” and “tone-deaf” personality, some even saying he was a poser. The consensus was that the next head coach had to be able to rein him in and put him in his place.

Payton Steps In

In steps Payton, whom Denver acquired via trade from the New Orleans Saints for a first- and second-round pick. The man Wilson had wanted in Seattle was finally coaching him, but in Denver.

If there was ever anyone who would hold Wilson accountable and coach him up, it was Payton. Stepping in as head coach, Payton invested in the offensive line by signing guard Ben Powers and tackle Mike McGlinchey to big-money contracts.

Payton also signed a blocking tight end in Chris Manhertz, acquired Adam Trautman via trade, added Samaje Perine to bolster the Broncos' ground game and insulate Wilson, and drafted rookie wideout Marvin Mims Jr. in the second round. The pieces were being placed for a facsimile of what Wilson had in Seattle: a strong run game and a stifling defense.

However, the 2023 season didn’t go as well as hoped. The Broncos started the season 1-5 after dropping some winnable games against the Las Vegas Raiders and Washington Commanders while giving up 70 points to the Miami Dolphins.

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The defense led by Vance Joseph was mainly to blame for the slump, as it was a historically dreadful unit. The offense also looked shaky, but Wilson looked improved, with 12 touchdowns and only four interceptions over that span.

Wilson still made mistakes that hindered the offense, most notably bailing out of clean pockets directly into pressure, which led to sacks, killed drives, and lost fumbles. But his deep ball was back, and he was using his legs to make plays again. 

Denver won six out of its next seven games, defeating the Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, Minnesota Vikings, Cleveland Browns, and Chargers.

The Broncos' defense going on a historic spree with 15 takeaways in a five-game span was the primary factor in the team's five-game winning streak. The offense still hadn’t played its best football, as the Broncos failed to capitalize consistently on the many turnovers the defense provided.

The Broncos sit at 8-8 today, and Wilson is riding the pine. His benching was a shock to some, as his numbers as an individual were solid, and definitely better than they were in 2022.

Payton's Impact on Wilson

Starting 15 games, Wilson passed for 3,070 yards and 26 touchdowns with eight interceptions and a 98.0 passer rating. So why was he benched? 

The box score doesn’t tell the whole story. While Wilson had some vintage fourth-quarter comebacks, the other three quarters left much to be desired.

There were numerous plays in which Wilson left the pocket without pressure in his face, only to run right into the arms of a defender. The Broncos' offensive line has been mostly solid thus far, grading in the top 10 via Pro Football Focus for several weeks. The O-line had some missteps but, overall, has been a good unit. 

It's also worth mentioning how Wilson gets very anxious going through his progressions. He often missed open receivers and dumped the ball to a running back. Despite Payton trying to fit an offense around him, Wilson simply wasn’t playing consistently.

Recently, a report dropped claiming that the Broncos approached Wilson during the bye week and threatened to bench him if he wasn't willing to renegotiate the injury guarantees in his contract. Wilson confirmed the report in an open locker presser, while the Broncos have denied that any threats were made. This fiasco has led some fans and media to think Wilson was being “sabotaged” by Payton.

All the talking heads who were ragging on Wilson for almost two whole seasons turned around to defend him. First, why have Wilson's numbers increased if Payton was trying to ruin him? If he wanted to sink Wilson, he’d give Hackett a call and ask for his advice.

Limitations Laid Bare

The problem with Wilson is that he’s such a high-variance passer. The highs are quite high, but the lows are very low. The interceptions may be lacking, but his fumbles and sacks are cataclysmically high (45 sacks this season and 10 fumbles), with him being responsible for most of them.

Payton created the offense to make Wilson as successful as possible by utilizing passes behind the line of scrimmage and screens while taking play-action deep shots built off the run game when necessary. One critique is the Broncos not utilizing play-action enough, and that’s totally on Payton, but other than that, Wilson simply had trouble playing with structure.

Wilson plays well outside of the structure, but Payton calls plays that benefit his quarterback. He can’t just say, “Okay, Russ, go out there and just run around and make something happen.” That’s ridiculous.

Wilson seems adverse to working within the offense, which severely limits the team and nullifies the offensive expertise the Broncos paid through the nose to get by hiring Payton. Denver's run game has left much to be desired, and Wilson needs it to be successful. 

Wilson won Super Bowl XLVIII primarily due to the dominant Seattle running game and smothering 'Legion of Boom' defense. That’s not a knock on Russ, but he’s not a passer who consistently puts a team on his back.

The hard truth is that Payton was brought in to coach this team, not just Wilson. Wilson limits what this team can do offensively, and Payton doesn’t want that. 

The Takeaway

Payton came in and did what he could with Russ, and despite his numbers not being terrible, it’s not enough in Payton’s eyes. Anyone telling themselves that Wilson is being sabotaged is holding on to the idea that he’s an elite quarterback, and that just isn’t the case anymore. 

If Wilson came in to undermine Wilson, why did he look infinitely better this year? While it's true that Payton has been a net positive on Russ, if your backup has the same numbers as your $165 million quarterback, there’s a huge problem.

Everyone said Russ needed to be pushed and coached up, and when that finally happened, many Broncos fans and media turned on Payton for doing just that. It may be time just to let Russ ride off to another team.

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