Broncos' Wil Lutz explains why he's 'scared' of Sean Payton

New Denver Broncos place kicker Wil Lutz suggested that he will return to his best form now that he's reunited with head coach Sean Payton.

"Look, coach, he tries to get the best out of everyone," Lutz said about Payton, as shared by Mike Klis of 9News. "I truly feel like my best years were with him because I was kind of scared to let him down. I think that’s how a leader is." 

Lutz first kicked for Payton from 2016 through the 2020 season when both were employed by the New Orleans Saints. As noted by Jeff Legwold of ESPN, the one-time Pro Bowl selection did not appear in an NFL game during the 2021 campaign because of a core muscle injury, and Payton stepped down as Saints head coach in January 2022. 

Last season, Lutz converted 23-of-31 field-goal attempts for a career-worst percentage of 74.2 percent. The 29-year-old then lost a summer competition versus rookie Blake Grupe and was subsequently traded by the Saints to the Broncos for a 2024 seventh-round draft pick. 

"But look, 2022, no excuses. I didn’t have a good year," Lutz admitted. "It’s all on me. Mentally I didn’t feel like I was in the right space. Kind of felt like a rookie again after missing a year. I didn’t play in front of fans in 2020 (amid the COVID-19 pandemic). Didn’t play in 2021. So 2022 Week 1 was the first time in front of fans in [three] years. So it was very eye-opening. I think I didn’t handle it the right way. So I really spent the offseason working with mentals and kind of getting back to where I was before." 

Broncos linebacker Josey Jewell revealed earlier this summer how Payton already had improved the club's culture roughly six months after the coach first accepted the job. Assuming players such as Jewell and Lutz are "scared" to fail Payton this fall, the Broncos could be in for quite a turnaround following a lousy 2022 season.