BRONCOS

The hiring of Sean Payton would be doubling down on Russell Wilson

Jan 25, 2023, 11:00 AM

In a desperate attempt to return to relevance, the Broncos are ready to overpay for an aging star that hasn’t been to a Super Bowl in nearly a decade. No, this isn’t an article from last year about the Broncos trading for Russell Wilson. Instead, it’s about getting back on that horse.

Almost a year after making what some consider the worst trade in NFL history, the Broncos are flirting with doubling down and doing the same thing again this offseason. The conversation a year ago was eerily similar to that of today.

Don’t go after the rookie; we’ve been down that road and got burned. Get a proven commodity and one that has experience and championship DNA.

Last season, it was getting the QB position right and trading for Russell Wilson. This year, it’s getting the head coach right and trading for Sean Payton.

We all know how that trade for Wilson ended up aging and it wasn’t pretty. Much like the Russell Wilson trade and contact extension, the Broncos would be simultaneously giving up premier draft assets and financially tying themselves to Payton for the foreseeable future.

History has not fared well for former Super Bowl champion quarterbacks winning another title with a new team until Peyton Manning and Tom Brady broke that trend. That barrier still exists in coaching, as no coach has ever won a championship with two different franchises.

Will Sean Payton and Russell Wilson be the duo to get over that obstacle? Broncos ownership seems to think so.

While the price tag for Payton is lower than that of Wilson, reports are that it will still take a first-round pick and possibly two first-round picks to get the deal done. All this along with a record-setting contract for Payton.

Sound familiar? In the wise words of Yogi Berra, “It’s like déjà vu all over again.”

Is Broncos new ownership willing to double down after swinging and missing on their last big bet? That’s a big gamble.

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The hiring of Sean Payton would be doubling down on Russell Wilson