Russell Wilson's Private QB Coach Sends Tweet Ahead of Broncos OTAs

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton has made it abundantly clear that only his in-house coaches will get to deal with starting quarterback Russell Wilson within the borders of UCHealth Training Center. This parameter that Payton established for his new regime, somewhat inevitably, was in response to the unfettered access Wilson's private throwing coach Jake Heaps had to the building last year.

Payton took the Heaps bull by the horns, revealing after his introductory press conference that outside influence would not be tolerated within the walls of Broncos HQ. Payton doubled down on the Rich Eisen Show at the Super Bowl.

"Look, I was asked the question about—so we had this 'gaggle,' which means more questions," Payton told Eisen. "And so we're talking, and somebody just said, 'Hey, Russell's had a coach in the building helping him. Your thoughts on that?' And I was honest. I said, 'I'm unfamiliar with that. I'm unfamiliar with what that looks like, which means I'm probably not going to do that.' In fact, we're not going to do that."

Fast forward to Thursday, and with the Broncos kicking off OTAs next week, Heaps posted a pic on social media relating to the private workouts he had held with Wilson.

"7th offseason with my guy @DangeRussWilson off to a great start! Now OTAs. Grateful for this special group. Excited for what is to come," Heaps tweeted.

7th offseason with my guy @DangeRussWilson off to a great start! Now OTAs. Grateful for this special group.

Excited for what is to come!#EnJOYTheJourney #MakeThemNotice pic.twitter.com/pt0DAQoRbl
— Jake Heaps (@jtheaps9) April 7, 2023

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Private throwing coaches are largely tolerated by NFL head coaches these days, especially in the offseason, whether they feel comfortable or not with the prickly dynamic. Allowing those private coaches access to team facilities and programs, however, is another thing entirely.

That being said, among the many factors that contributed to Wilson's dramatic decline last year, Heaps' involvement during the season is likely pretty far on down the list. Under previous head coach Nathaniel Hackett, Wilson appeared to be running his own side hustle at times, and consequently, the entire chain of command went up in smoke.

As a direct result, the much more assertive Payton quickly tweaked some of the privileges Wilson enjoyed last season. Payton's early statement was much more than an introductory shot across the bow of his signal-caller; it was designed to completely reorganize how the Broncos will now go about their business.

To that end, the 28-year-old Davis Webb is now Denver's QBs coach, and he's been hired to get close to Wilson and form tangible bonds. For that to really work, it will require Wilson to understand that Heaps is only there to turn the engine over in the offseason, not recalibrate the machinery.

Thankfully, Wilson has made a noticeable attempt to become a much leaner version of his 2022 self during this offseason thus far. So, perhaps Coach Payton won't be overly concerned when his quarterback turns up next week to get down to business in premium shape.

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