Many believe that Russell Wilson’s presence in Mile High City was a key reason behind Sean Payton’s decision to take up the Denver Broncos’ head coaching vacancy.
But according to Payton’s former FOX Sports’ colleague, Terry Bradshaw, the new Broncos head coach didn’t take the Denver job because of Wilson.
Altitude Sports Radio’s Vic Lombardi spoke to Bradshaw about the Broncos acquiring Payton. When asked about the Arizona Cardinals, Bradshaw stated that Payton didn’t “want to work with” Kyler Murray.
When Lombardi asked about Payton wanting to work with Wilson? The four-time Super Bowl champion and Pittsburgh Steelers legend said “Uh, I don’t think so,” adding that Payton has “no choice.”
Last week, the Broncos agreed to a trade with the New Orleans Saints that netted the AFC West club the future Hall of Famer and head coach. Payton coached New Orleans from 2006 to 2021 (he was suspended for the 2012 season because of Bountygate), before announcing his resignation last year.
Weeks before they acquired Wilson via trade with the Seattle Seahawks, the Broncos had hired ex-Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett as their new head coach. But Hackett never cut it in his first head coaching role, and the Broncos fired him with two weeks remaining.
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The Broncos haven’t made the playoffs since the 2015 season, when they won Super Bowl 50 in Peyton Manning’s final NFL season. They gave up a king’s ransom to acquire Wilson from Seattle and handed him a lucrative five-year contract extension worth $245 million, obviously hoping that the nine-time Pro Bowler would help them reach that next level.
2022 was a wasted year for the Broncos. Will Payton be the man to lead a long-awaited turnaround in Mile High City? Wilson and the organization can only hope so.
