Broncos Vet on 2022 Season: Russell Wilson 'Wasn't the Problem'
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Kareem Jackson probably knows every last inch of the Denver Broncos' locker room by now. It came as no real surprise to see the Broncos re-sign the veteran safety for another season, despite the arrival of safety JL Skinner in the draft.
Framed in the bigger picture, surely the 35-year-old Jackson's savvy presence will provide Broncos head coach Sean Payton with an invaluable bridge to build upon between the players and coaching staff.
Payton has been busily adjusting the general attitude of the franchise thus far, but only in some ways has a totally new slate emerged because many veterans, like Jackson, are still filtering through what caused so much dirty laundry to pile up last season.
“Fast forward to last year, Russell comes in and the expectations grow even greater. To just fall short of all the goals you have as a team and those expectations, for us it’s definitely frustrating,” Jackson told 104.3 The FAN. “To obviously go out and lose the way we lost last year, having eight or nine one-score games and two or three walk-offs in OT, that stuff is even more frustrating.”
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An unprecedented run of players landing on injured reserve also meant that the Broncos were undermanned and grasping for able-bodied players for most of their disastrous 5-12 season. Veterans like Jackson are hard-wired to block out making excuses over injuries and instead, tend to extol the virtues of supporting the next man up.
That being said, Jackson knows that, in hindsight, the Broncos were always behind the eight ball.
“We had a ton of injuries; you know had a bunch of different line-ups out there. I might of been the only guy that played every game last year,” Jackson told The FAN. “If it’s a revolving door when it comes to your line-up on both sides of the ball, there’s no chemistry on defense. There’s no chemistry on offense.”
Losing key pieces on offense like starting wide receiver Tim Patrick and emerging running back Javonte Williams so early in the season was calamitous for the Broncos' offense. Wilson was at the sharp end of the Broncos' struggles, especially after signing a lucrative contract extension on the doorstep of the season and failing to perform on a level commensurate with it.
“Definitely a lot of noise. A lot of outside noise as well. For Russ, if you’re the guy under center, making that type of money, you’re going to be the first guy that everybody will point out,” Jackson said. “I’ll sit here and today and say that wasn’t just the problem. We had a ton of problems.”
Indeed, you might have thought Jackson might want to exorcise his demons and put Denver in the rear-view, but that wasn't how he felt deep down. He always wanted to return.
“For me, it was always the plan to sign back here. When free agency started, they had a few things they wanted to get worked out,” Jackson told The FAN. “I know they wanted to get the offensive line and stuff. So, [GM] George [Paton] told us, 'We want you back, we just want to iron some things out first and then we’ll get to your situation.'”
The Jackson re-signing wasn't a marquee front-office move for Paton because he’s returning on a low-cost one-year deal, which helps the Broncos from a salary cap perspective. But should Jackson lose his starting job to the more youthful Caden Sterns, at least he can still contribute.
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