After officially becoming the Denver Broncos head coach, Sean Payton knows he has a lot of work to do. Payton’s first order of business will likely be trying to “fix” Russell Wilson after the veteran quarterback had one of the worst seasons of his career in 2022. (And he better succeed, considering everything Denver traded away for the coach and QB.)
On Monday, after the Broncos had their introductory press conference for Payton, the sideline leader was asked about Wilson having his own “personal coaches” — which notably includes Jake Heaps, Wilson’s own QB coach — around Denver’s team facility.
Without fully diving into all of his plans, Payton quickly quashed the concept of Wilson having his own people around all the time. He bluntly noted that would no longer be a viable concept in 2023.
Sean Payton was introduced as the #Brocos new coach today.
One of the things he said was that Russell Wilson will no longer be allowed to have his personal coaches in the building like last season. (@DMacRadio)
"That's not going to take place here."pic.twitter.com/FICk10YvB3
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) February 6, 2023
I’m no mind reader, so I can’t say precisely what crossed Payton’s mind with this question. But I think it’s pretty likely he took the (somewhat) diplomatic route because he doesn’t want to alienate Wilson before he even starts coaching the Broncos.
What I’m sure of is that Payton won’t be messing around with the Broncos. Whether you’re a fifth-round depth player or a QB with $161 million guaranteed, everyone will probably be on notice and on equal footing under the head coach’s watch.