Russell Wilson Reveals True Wishlist for Broncos' Next HC

The Denver Broncos are reportedly set to begin head-coaching interviews next week. Led by CEO and part-owner Greg Penner, with input from GM George Paton, the Broncos are poised to be "ultra aggressive" in finding the right coach to solve the team's problems and turn around a once-proud franchise.

Multiple names have been linked to the Broncos, the most prevalent of which has been Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh, as well as former New Orleans Saints head man Sean Payton. With all the buzz linking Harbaugh's name to the Denver vacancy, we can begin to project what his fit would look like, specifically with quarterback Russell Wilson.

Harbaugh coached the San Francisco 49ers from 2011-14, competing against Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks through most of the quarterback's early career. In those days, which team would represent the NFC in the Super Bowl came down to the NFC West.

The Niners got the better of the Seahawks in 2012, but it was Wilson and company who went the distance 2013, defeating the Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII. Seattle also represented the NFC in the Super Bowl the following year, coming up just short to the New England Patriots.

The Niners-Seahawks battles of that era were tectonic. Wilson knows Harbaugh well. On Wednesday, Wilson was asked what he and his fellow Broncos teammates are looking for in their next head coach.

"I think what we desire, what we want as players, is we all want to win," Wilson said. "We want a winner. We want a person that's going to encourage us and challenge us at the same time—push us to the furthest edge every day. And also teach us how to be better men every day, too. And all that counts. We're excited just to play this game this week. There's so much ahead. There's so much great ahead and so much to look forward to. But as we know now, just enjoy today."

Anyone who heard Wilson's remarks on the subject would be hard-pressed not to interpret them through the Harbaugh lens.

"First of all, I know Greg and George, they're going to do a great job and the executive team upstairs, they're going to do a great job of finding a great head coach," Wilson said. "There's some great options, obviously. There's a lot of amazing coaches and brilliant people that have been really, really successful coaching the game and [have] gone to Super Bowls, won them, been to them, and been at the highest level in whatever facet that may be. And there's also some brilliant minds, too, that are younger."

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Harbaugh has led a team to the Super Bowl, but couldn't quite get over the hump in 2012 as the Niners fell to John Harbaugh and the Baltimore Ravens. The belief is that Jim Harbaugh has a feeling of unfinished business when it comes to the NFL, and as the criticism has fallen on his shoulders for Michigan's failure to capitalize on an undefeated regular season in the College Football Playoffs, he's reportedly feeling a gravitational pull back to the pros.

When Harbaugh arrived in San Fran, he resurrected Alex Smith's career, taking him from a perceived No. 1 overall draft bust to a player the NFL perceived as a franchise quarterback. Although he ultimately fell out of favor in the Bay Area, Andy Reid saw something in Smith and gave up a haul of draft picks to bring him to Kansas City.

Wilson is only one year removed from being perceived as a future Hall-of-Famer. He made nine Pro Bowls in his first decade in the NFL and was coming off his most recent trip to the all-star game when the Broncos gave up multiple first and second-round picks to acquire him.

Although it might not feel like it, Wilson's Pro Bowl days aren't in the distant rear-view mirror. But with the Broncos signing him to an extension worth $245 million, there is a mandate at UCHealth Training Center to pair him with a coach who can extract the best out of him and bring him back from the brink of NFL obscurity.

Harbaugh has a resume that checks those boxes. Payton does, too, perhaps to a lesser degree, though.

When Drew Brees left San Diego, he was a wounded animal in the sense that he'd suffered an injury many felt could be career-ending, but Payton didn't flinch in his recruitment of the former Purdue signal-caller. Payton ultimately won Brees' services when the Miami Dolphins inexplicably opted to sign Daunte Culpepper and the rest is history.

Wilson and his teammates crave a "winner" head coach. Both Harbaugh and Payton fit that bill, with the former posting a 49–22–1 (.688) career record (counting playoffs), and the latter boasting a 161–97 (.624) record.

However, it's worth noting that while both coaches will command potentially unprecedented money from their next NFL team, Payton will come at a significantly higher cost as the Saints still own his rights. That means that if the Broncos want him, they'll not only have to acquiesce to Payton's compensation demands, but also give up what could be a boatload of draft picks and/or cash to acquire his rights from New Orleans.

That wrinkle could simplify what path the Walton/Penner group ultimately opts to take in pursuit of the Broncos' next head coach.

Stay tuned.

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