Sean Payton isn’t the villain in the Russell Wilson saga
Jan 5, 2024, 6:44 AM | Updated: 9:08 am
After two weeks of listening, watching and participating in the Russell Wilson/Sean Payton tiff, I felt the need to put my thoughts together, to put digital pen to paper.
When did Payton become the villain in all this? Is it because he had the nerve to threaten to put Russ on the bench if he didn’t agree to moving back his injury clause? Put aside the fact that NFL players are threatened all the time if they don’t take pay cuts or restructure their contract. I’ll try and find common ground by acknowledging this kind of threat doesn’t tend to happen midseason.
What makes this all different is Wilson’s staggering contract, which Payton inherited. The money due to Russ and the mammoth salary cap implications that go with it make this one of the most-0unique contracts in NFL history. The old rules don’t apply. Payton and the Broncos have to protect their interests and if it means coming across as a bully or being classless or unfair, well, at the risk of sounding cliche, “it’s just business.”
Let’s not forget, Russ wanted this. He has told people that as he moves into his mid and late 30’s he needs to re-invent his game. He can’t just rely on athleticism like he did when he was younger. He has said he would like to emulate Drew Brees and become more of a pocket passer. He said he wanted Sean Payton to be his coach.
Russ got what he wanted so he can’t complain if Payton decided he can’t play like Brees and can’t run his offense. That would be like me wanting to become a master chef and be taught by Gordon Ramsey. If Ramsey decides I can’t even make toast, then I can’t moan about not getting a fair chance, can I?
I’ve heard Sean get criticized for not coaching to Russ’ strengths. I don’t see that at all. Russ hasn’t been anchored to the pocket. Payton has devised plays to get Russ out on the move and allowing him to try and make something out of nothing.
I’ve heard Payton be criticized for wanting a QB who can be a processor and excel in front of the whiteboard and can run Payton’s precious system. Well duh, that puts Sean in the company of every single offensive-minded head coach and coordinator.
Any time the last line of defense for a quarterback is “the coach needs to do a better job of building an offense around his unique talents” that is code for “the QB can’t read defenses and make the proper reads and proper throws.”
That’s what this is all about. First Pete Carroll and now Sean Payton have both arrived at the conclusion Russ can’t be an above average QB from the pocket. That’s a death knell for any QB because, like it or not, the true measure of any elite QB is his ability to dominate from the pocket. If he can’t he better be a freakish athlete. Guys who are into their mid-30’s tend to stop being freakish.
This isn’t about Payton being stubborn. He wants to win another Super Bowl. If he felt Russ could do that not playing Sean’s system, Payton would be fine with that. If he could win big. Payton has decided he can’t win big with Russ. And you know what? That’s Payton’s prerogative and that’s his job.
Will it stink to eat $85 million of cap hits over the next two years? Yep. But that isn’t Payton’s hump. I’ve been schooled enough by Mark Schlereth watching game film to reach the conclusion Sean arrived at a long time ago. Russ isn’t a good enough pocket QB and he isn’t likely to get much better. Add in advancing age then delaying the inevitable and keeping Russ around just because “you gotta pay him the money anyway” is just kicking the can down the road.
This Russell Wilson/Sean Payton relationship was destined to be either boom or bust. And if a divorce occurred it was going to be messy because of the contract. You can’t throw out “this is maybe the worst trade in NFL history” and think the contract that went along with it would not cause massive problems. It is. Doing what is best long-term for the Broncos means someone is going to have to do something that may be unpopular. That someone is Payton.
But it doesn’t make him a villain.
