Winners and losers from Sean Payton being hired by Broncos
By Scott Rogust
Sean Payton is the new head coach for the Denver Broncos after a trade with the New Orleans Saints. Here are the winners and losers of the Payton hiring.
The head coaching carousel had very little movement this offseason, with the Carolina Panthers being the only team to address their vacancy by hiring Frank Reich. That left four teams that were in need of new sideline bosses. But on Tuesday, the Denver Broncos found their head coach, and it arrived in the form of a huge splash.
According to ESPN senior NFL insider Adam Schefter, the Broncos have hired Sean Payton to be their head coach, by way of a trade with the New Orleans Saints. The Broncos acquired Payton and a 2024 third-round pick from the Saints in exchange for a 2023 first-round pick and a 2024 second-round pick.
With a move this huge, there are going to be winners and losers. As it turns out, there are three winners and two losers fro the Broncos hiring Payton.
Winner from Sean Payton being hired by Broncos: Russell Wilson
One of the big winners of the Broncos hiring Payton is none other than the team’s quarterback, Russell Wilson.
The Broncos made the big splash move last offseason to acquire Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks, giving up a multitude of high draft picks. Not to mention, they signed him to a five-year, $242.6 million contract extension before the start of the 2022 season. But in his first season in Denver, Wilson played like a shell of his former self.
In 15 games, Wilson threw for 3,524 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions while completing 60.5 percent of his passes.
Prior to the end of the season, the Broncos fired head coach Nathaniel Hackett after leading the team to a 4-11 record in just 15 games on the job, where they drastically underperformed expectations.
While Wilson is being counted out, he has the chance to silence the doubters with Payton helping get the most out of him.