Ex-teammate says Russell Wilson can return to MVP form

Free-agent running back Melvin Gordon was on the Broncos 2022 roster, so he knows firsthand just how bad things were in Denver last season.

But after seeing all of the offseason moves the team made, most notably bringing in Super Bowl-winning head coach Sean Payton, Gordon believes the pieces are in place for Wilson to return to his Pro Bowl form.

“Yeah, he do, and he’s got an MVP coach,” Gordon told Jim Rome when asked if Wilson can with another league MVP. “I just know…just, the situation (last year), it wasn’t good. But, like I said, I think they got the pieces there now that’s going to put him in the best situation. I definitely believe they will be a better football team then they were last year.”

Although Payton didn’t coach during the 2022 season, he has one of the best winning percentages among head coaches in NFL history (.631). His resume boasts a Super Bowl championship, three NFC championship appearances and seven division titles. Payton is also regarded as one of the best offensive minds in football.

The 59-year-old coach has his work cut out for him trying to resurrect Wilson’s career after a 2022 season in which he had the worst completion percentage (60.5) and passer rating (84.4), threw the fewest touchdowns (16), took the most sacks (55) and had the worst single-season winning percentage (.285) of his 11-year NFL career under former head coach Nathaniel Hackett, who was fired after 15 games.

Denver also had the worst scoring offense in the NFL, which averaged 16.9 points per game.