Sean Payton Delivered Blunt Message to Russell Wilson
ESPN's Seth Wickersham published a captivating profile Tuesday on Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton, with whom Wickersham "spent a lot of time this summer." Tucked away in said piece was a directive that Payton relayed to his $245 million quarterback, Russell Wilson — the team's perpetual lightning rod.
And he didn't mince words.
He told Wilson that to salvage his career he needed to focus less on Russell Inc. "Will you f---ing stop kissing all the babies?" he said. "You're not running for public office."
It's unclear when exactly Payton delivered that message, but it seems to have been received well by Wilson, who's coming off the worst season of his career, his first in Denver.
Gone is the extra body weight that hampered Wilson's playmaking ability in 2022. Gone is the entourage that had exclusive access to the inner confines of Dove Valley. Gone are the amenities which granted Wilson, a nine-time Pro Bowler, preferential treatment by the previous regime.
Under the new management, Wilson is merely one of 53 players on Denver's active roster. No bells, no whistles. It's a tough-love approach — Payton's forte — meant to curtail his high-profile image. Football, and football only, is what he must eat, sleep, and breathe.
"It works," Payton said last week of his relationship with Wilson. "I think in the very beginning, with all these guys, I’ll be sarcastic with them and have fun with them. "We try to create as much pressure as we can during the week so that when game day comes, you’re reacting and playing. This guy has been in tons of big spots—championship games, Super Bowls—throughout his career. That’s what puts him in that class where he’s at. He’s got a certain expectation of himself."
The expectation is to be the best quarterback he can be, and help return the Broncos to where they haven't been in seven years: the playoffs. Unlike his predecessor, Payton is putting Wilson in a position to do just that, even after saying the quiet part aloud.
“I think throughout the course of the spring training camp, we got a pretty good grasp as to men’s strengths, the things that [Wilson] does well," Payton told reporters Monday. "Part of it is, each week tailoring the offense around the opponent we’re playing, but also the strengths of our own players."
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