Sean Payton has never been one to play it safe. His New Orleans Saints attempted and recovered an onside kick to start the second half of the Super Bowl in 2010. He won games with Swiss Army Knife Taysom Hill as his starting quarterback at a time when that sort of concept was still kind of taboo.
Payton's ambition will be tested again, as the new Denver Broncos head coach will be tasked with helping quarterback Russell Wilson rediscover his mojo.
The melding of Super Bowl Champions could be tantalizing if all goes to plan. Payton himself, knows how valuable Wilson is and is focused on taking some of the burden off him.
“Russell is a hard worker and has played at a high level and won a lot of games in this league,” Payton told Jeff Duncan of nola.com, courtesy of The Spun. “The pressure is on us to put a good run game together and reduce the degree of difficulty on his position. I’m excited about him.”
Payton was clearly undeterred by Wilson's subpar 2022-23 season and recognizes that the nine-time Pro-Bowler is most effective when the offense is able to establish its rushing attack. Second-year running back Javonte Williams tore his ACL in Week 4, forcing the Broncos to rely more on veterans Melvin Gordon and Latavius Murray. The explosiveness Williams flashed in his rookie season was surely missed and put more onus on Wilson to produce worthwhile drives.
Needless to say, he was not able to rise to the occasion. There was turbulence from the get-go, however. Nathaniel Hackett came under scrutiny after his first game as head coach and was fired before the season ended. Sean Payton has the experience and credibility that the organization desperately needs. No. 3 could still be that guy, too.
Wilson will only be three years removed from a 40-touchdown season (passing) with the Seattle Seahawks when the Broncos take the field in September. He has the weapons on offense and a still-stout defense to help him return to one of the league's most consistent winners (had a winning season in first nine years of career).
It will be Payton's job to introduce that version of Wilson to Mile High Stadium. It might not be easy, but he has the right mentality for it.
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