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Dre'Mont Jones Airs Dirty Broncos Laundry on Seattle Radio

Dre'Mont Jones aired some dirty laundry about the Denver Broncos.
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On his way out of the Mile High City, Dre'Mont Jones took an opportunity to throw some shade at the Denver Broncos. Call it sour grapes or maybe just the cold, hard truth, but Jones had some interesting things to say about the Broncos on the Seattle airwaves Friday morning. 

Joining the Brock and Salk show on Seattle 710 Sports Radio, Jones was asked what it was like playing in Denver last season, and in his typical blunt candor, he didn't seem to pull any punches. 

"To keep it short, it was a lot more hectic than any of us probably wanted it to be," Jones told 710 Sports Radio. "I should really just speak for myself, it was probably more hectic than what I'd like it to be. Just too much going on. There was a lot of drama. Unnecessary. Football didn't seem as important as it needed to be at one point, and that sucks because that's coming from a place that I really grew to appreciate." 

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Hat tip to 104.3 The FAN's Zach Bye for bringing Jones' comments to the fore. Whatever Jones' motives might be, there is no doubt that things got weird in Denver last season. 

After hiring the aw-shucks Nathaniel Hackett as head coach, the Broncos acquired quarterback Russell Wilson via trade from the Seattle Seahawks, and it seemed like the team was trending in the right direction. Denver signed Wilson to a massive $245 million extension on the doorstep of the season, but in hindsight, that move should have served as a harbinger for what was to come. 

In the Broncos' season-opener vs. the Seahawks, it quickly became apparent that something was rotten in Denmark. Wilson's communication with Hackett seemed to be off, as the veteran quarterback took unnecessary delay-of-game penalties, failing to get the play in and the ball snapped in time. 

When those issues stretched deep into the first quarter of the season, Broncos GM George Paton stepped in and plucked Jerry Rosburg out of retirement to assist Hackett in his game management. The delay-of-game penalties improved, but the product on the field didn't follow suit. 

Throw into that milieu a quarterback whose play on the field was nowhere close to commensurate with the king's ransom Denver gave up to acquire him from Seattle, or that nearly quarter-billion-dollar extension, and things really began to go sideways. When leaked video of Wilson saying his "Broncos Country, let's ride" phrase over and over into the camera for what was supposed to be NBC Sports' promo for Sunday Night Football, the veteran soon became a national lampoon.

From Wilson's Subway commercial to his "high knees" remarks across the pond in London, the quarterback himself became quite a distraction for Denver, whether it was fair or not. Meanwhile, Hackett proved week in and out that he was in over his head as he seemingly kowtowed to Wilson's every whim. 

Jones and his brethren on defense continued to carry all the water for the Broncos, but it wasn't enough to keep the team competitive. Following a pathetic Christmas Day blowout in L.A., the Broncos fired Hackett. 

But it was when Denver traded outside linebacker Bradley Chubb midseason that Jones voiced his frustrations publicly. Jones spoke out on Twitter, and that could have a little something to do with his comment in Seattle that "football didn't seem important" to the 2022 Broncos. 

It's hard to sell to a struggling team that football and competing are important when the front office trades away one of its best players. Players see through that GM-speak quite easily. 

In retrospect, the Chubb trade basically landed the Broncos head coach Sean Payton, so while the 2022 season was a dark, dramatic season that will ultimately be relegated to the dustbin of history, the roster move that Jones panned so publicly could end up being the lightning rod to a turnaround in Denver. 

Jones made the point on that same radio appearance that perhaps fans should be a little more skeptical of thinking that an NFL team can just "plug" a new cog into the machine and expect it to run smoothly. 

"I don't know what people don't realize, like this is not Madden," Jones said. "You can't just plug pieces in and expect it to work. You've got to have that trust, that bond, and just to be able to work together is overly important. I want to play for the guy—that's who I'm playing for—the guy next to me, so if I don't feel like I know you, or I don't feel comfortable with you, it won't work out." 

Forget about Peyton Manning being plugged into Denver's system to great success back in 2012, or Tom Brady in Tampa Bay a few years back. Those were two shoo-in first-ballot Hall-of-Famers, and it's clear that Wilson, at least at this stage in his career, isn't on that same level. 

It'll be interesting to see how it plays out, but for now, Jones will be collecting his paychecks from the Seahawks, while the Broncos replaced him on the defensive line with Zach Allen. 

Update

Hours after his Seattle interview, Jones posted this message to Broncos Country on Twitter. 

"Thank you Bronco’s organization and community for the last 4 years," Jones wrote. "The hardest part will be leaving behind the relationships that I’ve made in that building. Denver gave me my first opportunity and I’m forever thankful to the city. I loved the ups and downs we shared. Take care!


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