Broncos brass still believe in Russell Wilson, call QB ‘fixable’
The two men, who are embarking on the franchise’s fourth head coaching search since January 2017 and third since January 2019, believe Wilson can return to playing level early in his career. .
“The decision to bring Russell here is a long-term one,” Penner said in the team conference room at the Broncos’ suburban Denver facility. We got a glimpse of it in the week.The offseason is to prepare for next year.”
The Broncos traded five draft picks, including a 2023 first-round pick, are projected to be among the top three picks in the April 2023 Draft, and have three players. He was traded to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for Wilson this past March. The Broncos then signed Wilson to a five-year, $245 million extension in early September.
However, aside from a few flashes in parts of the game, Wilson appeared out of sync throughout the season, losing open receivers and failing to find consistency. He’s well on his way to down passes (he’s had 12 in 13 starts) and has made 49 in those 13 games (3.8 per game) despite missing two games this season. Sacks) Has the league’s leading sacks. to injury.
If Wilson, 34, is sacked three more times in the final two games of the season, he will set a career record in that category. The Broncos are also the league’s lowest-scoring team with him scoring 15.5 points per game, and this season he has scored 17 points or less in his 11th game, losing nine of those 11 games. .
However, Penner and Paton each stressed that the coaching changes were not made to repair Wilson, but to make him play better as part of an “organization-wide” critical review. .
“Russ even said he didn’t play to his standards….he didn’t play to his standards, he didn’t play to our standards, he I’ll be the first to tell you that you need to… better,” Patton said. “I don’t think we made any coaching moves based on Russ. That wasn’t the whole thing. That’s not why we got a new coach to turn Russ around. It’s about the whole organization..Russ It’s not fixable or not. We believe he is.
Penner also said Hackett was fired not just because of Wilson’s play or Sunday’s 37-point loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
“You have to look at the whole job. For many reasons, it just wasn’t right,” Penner said.
Penner said the team is already evaluating candidates willing to interview, adding, “We have to do this right.” When asked if any of his current assistants would be considered for the job, Payton only offered defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero as a candidate they wanted to interview.
The Walton Penner Group, led by Walmart successor Rob Walton, was approved by the NFL as the new owner of the Broncos in August. Before the trade took place, he had already led the research and interviews of 10 candidates, but by the time the team extended Wilson’s contract, the group was in place.
Payton, who was hired as the team’s general manager in January 2021, said Tuesday of his decision to hire Hackett earlier this year, “I believed the decision at the time.”
“It just didn’t go well here. [for Hackett], and it’s on me. I take full responsibility for my position as a football team,” Patton said. I brought most of the players. Those are my decisions and no one else is responsible. Let me be clear, this is not just a coaching issue, nor is it just a Nathaniel issue. It’s about the whole operation of football.”