Russell Wilson addresses moving on from disappointing season

Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson made it clear he put a disastrous 2022 in the rearview mirror.

"Last year is last year. It isn't anything I ever wanted," Wilson said in a Friday news conference. "I think the best thing we can do as a team is continue to do everything we can every day and just continue to stack one day at a time, and those days will add up to something special."

Wilson and Denver attempting to forget about last season is wise since it was a trainwreck. The Broncos went 5-12 and missed the playoffs for a seventh consecutive season. After they traded two-first rounders (and more) for the former Seahawks star, Wilson posted career lows in passing TDs (16), passer rating (84.4) and completion percentage (60.5 percent) in 15 games.

A large portion of the blame fell on the 34-year-old since he received benefits that alienated coaches, such as a personal office. Also, he had too much offensive input. Wilson reportedly tried to install a Denver-Seattle hybrid, which failed as the Broncos finished last in scoring and second in false start penalties.

Subsequently, the front office stripped Wilson of his privileges and replaced one-and-done HC Nathaniel Hackett with Sean Payton, a Super Bowl champion and QB guru. Wilson signaled he respects Payton and is ceding offensive authority.

"[Payton] has a certain presence that you feel in a room," Wilson said. "He's a legend in this game in terms of coaching. And so we trust everything that he thinks about and that he's doing."

If Payton salvages the nine-time Pro Bowler, that would be ideal for the Broncos. They can't move on from Wilson because five years remain on his contract, and he has a $22M 2023 cap hit, per Spotrac.