New Broncos HC Sean Payton 'Excited' to Coach Russell Wilson
A consistent throughout the Broncos' weeks-long courtship of Sean Payton was his willingness to take on quarterback Russell Wilson. Reports indicated he was intrigued by the idea of working with Wilson, the $245 million franchise player many believe requires salvaging after a disastrous 2022 campaign.
And Payton confirmed as much in his first comments upon accepting Denver's head-coaching position.
"Russell is a hard worker and has played at a high level and won a lot of games in this league," he told Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com on Tuesday. "The pressure is on us to put a good run game together and reduce the degree of difficulty on his position. I'm excited about him."
Payton arrives in the Mile High City following a bombshell deal between the Saints and Broncos, who surrendered first- and second-round draft picks for the winningest coach in New Orleans history. The home-run swing was reminiscent of last year's Wilson trade which included multiple firsts and players — and which lacked a return on investment, as the former Super Bowl champion threw a career-low 16 touchdowns and Denver went 5-12, firing Payton's predecessor along the way.
With the hire, Wilson has vaulted from the outhouse to the penthouse. He's never experienced a guru quite like Payton, whose Saints offenses — led by future Hall-of-Famer Drew Brees, a diminutive QB similar to Wilson — finished No. 1 six times across 15 seasons. Even when Brees retired, in 2021, Payton managed to coax 25 passing TDs and nine victories from Jameis Winston and ex-Bronco Trevor Siemian.
"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," Wilson said of Payton on Jan. 8.
Wilson pined for the Broncos to land Payton and reportedly is "ecstatic" his recruiting efforts were successful.
Ditto, coach.
"This was the opportunity I was looking for," Payton told Duncan.
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