TV networks still wanted Broncos despite awful 2022 season

Fans should blame broadcasters—not the NFL—if they have to endure more awful Denver Broncos games in primetime spots during the 2023 season. 

According to Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk, NFL Vice President of Broadcast Planning Mike North said Friday that television partners believe the combination of new head coach Sean Payton and proven quarterback Russell Wilson will help the Broncos produce multiple must-see games later this year. 

"When we met with our network partners as we do every year, and we talked about which games are you interested in and which teams are you interested in, there was no one who said, 'No more Denver, please,'" North explained. 

Wilson's first season with Denver was nothing short of a disaster, and the Broncos were responsible for multiple nationally-broadcast duds that left some viewers wishing the league could flex ongoing games out of slots. The Week 5 "Thursday Night Football" matchup between the Broncos and Indianapolis Colts was openly mocked by play-by-play broadcaster Al Michaels over its lack of quality, and Denver was later smashed by the Los Angeles Rams to the tune of 51-14 on Christmas Day. 

While Broncos ownership hopes Payton can get the best out of Wilson, it's also thought the coach won't be shy about benching the 34-year-old this fall if he's as bad then as he was throughout the 2022 campaign. Networks clearly are banking on Wilson turning things around under Payton. 

"Everybody, in fact, I think is pretty intrigued by the new coach, and that quarterback was extremely successful in this league for a long time," North continued about the Broncos. "Maybe he had a down year, maybe he deserves a grace period. There were none of our partners who came in and said, 'Absolutely not.'" 

The 2023 Broncos have four primetime games between Week 6 and Christmas Eve night. Denver will open that portion of its calendar with a "Thursday Night Football" clash at the rival Kansas City Chiefs on Oct. 12.