Sean Payton finally reveals his stance regarding Broncos’ starting QB
Sean Payton has had a clear strategy in place since he took over as head coach of the Denver Broncos. Let’s dig further into this plan.
Stay with me here; my plan is a little long, but I am confident that it is exactly what the Denver Broncos are now doing and want to continue if everything goes well in the future.
Sean Payton’s vision for the Denver Broncos has been deliberate and refreshing
Part 1: Had to work with Russell Wilson for at least one season
Russell Wilson’s contract basically forced new head coach Sean Payton to try and make it work with the QB for at least one season. The way I see it, before Payton was officially hired, he was 100% given authority to cut ties with the QB after the 2023 NFL Season.
I believe he would not have taken the job without this guarantee. Payton seems to be the primary decision-maker with the Broncos, so this checks out. But in the offseason, all we heard from Sean Payton was how well Russell Wilson was doing, and at times in 2023, Wilson was playing decent football, but it just was not a fit with Sean Payton.
This spills into the next part of this plan.
Part 1.5: Added legitimate personnel on offense to shore up weak spots
Knowing that he’d have to try and make it work with Russell Wilson for 2023, Payton and the Broncos knew they had to improve the personnel on offense, so they did just that in free agency. Payton and the Broncos signed two quality offensive linemen to make life easier for Russell Wilson in Ben Powers and Mike McGlinchey.
He brought in a competent backup QB in Jarrett Stidham, and also added a nice dual-threat running back in Samaje Perine. Payton made this moves to try and maximize what he could with Wilson for the 2023 NFL Season.
Part 1.75: Hired veteran defensive mind to keep unit respectable
The next step was to assure that the defense was in capable hands, so he recruited Vance Joseph, a seasoned veteran, to do so. There were rumors that Payton intended to employ Vic Fangio, but they never materialized. Yes, the Broncos defense was really bad at times in 2023, but the guys simply weren’t that good.
Joseph has been around for a long, and many NFL clubs don’t have as good a defense as the Broncos have.
Part 2: Tried to make a push with Russell Wilson, knew a divorce was coming
Payton, Wilson, and the 2023 Broncos tried and showed some potential, but the math simply didn’t match up. Sean Payton understood this would not be sustainable, and he did all he could to maximize Russell Wilson. I’m not sure when Payton knew for definite when he intended to break relations with Russell Wilson, but it had to be around the time the Broncos put Wilson to the bench and Jarrett Stidham to the starting quarterback position.
At the end of the day, Sean Payton knew this was a short-term marriage.
Part 2.5: Cut QB with intention of bringing in a better-fit rookie in NFL Draft
At this point, Payton and the Broncos likely turned their attention to the offseason and to the 2024 NFL Draft to find a better fit at QB. One has to wonder just how long the Broncos were targeting Bo Nix, but mostly everything we have heard after the NFL Draft seems to indicate that they had Nix in mind.
But more broadly, moving on from Wilson signaled that a new QB would be in town. When Wilson was cut, no one truly knew what would happen. Even former free agent Kirk Cousins was predicted to sign with Denver by some. Cutting Russell Wilson signaled the end of that brief era and the intention of bringing in a better fit, someone that Sean Payton coveted.
Part 3: Responsibly handed financials with Russell Wilson contract fallout
The Denver Broncos have had to be cautious with their finances as a result of the Russell Wilson contract. The NFL-record dead cap hit of $85 million is what Denver must cope with. They’ll spread out the higher-valued figure this year and take on the entire $32 million next offseason.
The Broncos did not spend much in free agency, signing numerous players to small contracts. However, they still had a free agency need because their squad had flaws heading into the summer. It’s not like Denver could have done nothing; they particularly needed reinforcements on the defensive line and in the secondary.
But Sean Payton and GM George Paton were clearly careful with their cap space, not going crazy and still giving the team a ton of room to breath in 2025. Denver still managed to add respectable talent in free agency. Denver could have signed a splash player, but they took the wiser route and did not.
Part 3.5: Invested modestly in free agency to improve roster + new offensive core in 2024 NFL Draft
As I just indicated, the Broncos invested modestly in free agency, but attacked the 2024 NFL Draft in hopes of building for the future. The big fish here was Bo Nix with the 12th overall pik, but Denver also added Audric Estime at running back and Troy Franklin at wide receiver
These new, youthful faces on offense should contribute in the long run. Denver’s decision to draft a quarterback in the first round also showed that the franchise intends to implement a long-term strategy. Adding more young players on offense and addressing lingering defensive issues in the 2024 NFL Draft reinforced this notion.
Part 4: Hope to tread around .500 in 2024, show enough promise to warrant continuation
Now comes where we sit current day. The Denver Broncos have really flipped this thing around, and perhaps for the better. I think the modest goal now should be to hover around .500 once again in the 2024 regular season. Doing so with a rookie at quarterback should be a huge encouragement for what could be done in the future.
A worse Broncos team won eight games in 2023. Can the 2024 Denver Broncos win more than that? Maybe.
Part 5: Plan becomes realized – Freed-up cap space + strong 2024 rookie class opens Super Bowl window
If the Denver Broncos finish 8-9 in the 2024 NFL season, you may expect the team to make a significant push in the 2025 offseason. They’ll have a lot of cap room freed up, the chance to produce even more, and all of their draft selections as well.
You see, the Denver Broncos and Sean Payton have had a well-defined strategy from the start. If this season goes well, the idea can move ahead significantly in 2024 and flourish in 2025. Much of this plan will be difficult to implement, but Denver has the necessary infrastructure in place.
Ideally, the Denver Broncos comply with Part 4 of
