The Denver Broncos have gotten off to a terrible start in their first season under Sean Payton, and some have wondered if that will lead to tension between the coach and quarterback Russell Wilson. That is reportedly not a concern at the moment.
During an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” Tuesday, Dianna Russini of The Athletic was asked where things stand between Payton and Wilson after a 0-3 start and Sunday’s humiliating 70-20 loss to the Miami Dolphins. Russini said the coach and quarterback have gotten along “really well” from the start.
“To me, this is one of those developing relationships that’s going into the positive space, and it really has been,” Russini said. “I wasn’t too sure how that was gonna work when that pairing came together initially, knowing both of those personalities are very strong and unique in their own way. But, from just having a lot of conversations with just players and people in the front office and talking to Payton over the last few weeks, Russell Wilson and Sean Payton get along really well.”
Russini added that the biggest story coming out of Denver is whether the defensive issues can be fixed, not whether Payton and Wilson can coexist.
Wilson was horrible in his first season with the Broncos last year, but so was Denver’s entire offense. Former head coach Nathaniel Hackett has taken the blame for most of that. Wilson has thrown for more than 400 yards and has four touchdown passes in his last two games, so he has managed to put points on the board. As Russini said, defense is by far the most glaring issue for the Broncos under Payton thus far.
If you remember, there were reports during the offseason that Payton was not thrilled about having Wilson as a quarterback. That is another reason there have been questions about the relationship between the two. For now, those questions have been answered.
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