Five moments that doomed the Russell Wilson era

The Russell Wilson era with the Broncos is likely in past tense. “Likely,” because there is still a window for him to return — in relief of Jarrett Stidham, or with an injury that puts the Broncos on the hook for his 2025 base salary.

So, it may not be over. But if it is, the seeds were sown long ago … beginning on literally the day the Broncos introduced their prize catch:

MARCH 16, 2022: THE OPENING PRESS CONFERENCE FOR RUSSELL WILSON

Russell Wilson was bigger than an ordinary player when he walked into what is now known as Centura Health Training Center for the first time. And that became clear at the introductory press conference, when then-coach Nathaniel Hackett sounded less like a boss and more like a gushing fanboy trying to lead a pep rally.

Nathaniel Hackett: “WOW! Come on, you all, Russell Wilson!"

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) March 16, 2022

The relationship between Hackett and Wilson wasn’t functional — at least when it came to allowing Hackett to put the hammer down on the quarterback when it was needed. The two spent part of their vacations to England together. And in an attempt to mold the ideas Wilson wanted with the concepts Hackett preferred, the Broncos installed a voluminous offense that left players studying and reviewing concepts deep into the night … in May. As a result, the offense lacked identity.

Wilson needed an environment with appropriate limits. Instead it was a milieu in which Team Russ found itself inside the velvet ropes at Broncos headquarters. Having an office in the building wasn’t a big deal, as some made it out to be. But its location — on the second floor, usually the domain of coaches, personnel executives and business-staff members — was notable. And so was having a personal quarterback coach on hand for every practice, even the ones closed to outsiders.

The following February, Sean Payton would correct that. Wilson’s team lost its key-card privileges and unique access.

“That’s foreign to me. That’s not going to take place here,” Payton said. “I’m unfamiliar with it, but our staff will be here, our players will be here and that’ll be it.”

OCT. 6, 2022: DISGUST WITH THE BRONCOS

As a Thursday Night Football audience and a disgusted Al Michaels looked on, Wilson and the Broncos offense collapsed entirely, failing to generate a touchdown and gift-wrapping a chance to the Colts when Wilson dropped back in the final moments.

Denver led, 9-6. Although the Broncos sat in the red zone, they didn’t need a touchdown. A completion to move the chains would do nicely. Better than a touchdown, even, as a touchdown would extend the competitive phase of the game against a Colts team lacking timeouts. A completion would end the proceedings with kneeldowns.

So, Wilson looked for Tyrie Cleveland on a slant route. But the Colts read it perfectly, and an interception set up a game-tying field-goal drive against an overworked Denver defense. A failed fourth-and-goal in overtime sealed the Broncos’ sorry fate.

This was a moment when the Broncos stopped being an underachieving side and started becoming a national joke. Michaels couldn’t contain his disdain or his boredom, sounding less like a prominent NFL voice and more like a man questioning the choices in life that left him in the Empower Field at Mile High booth on a Thursday night watching two wheezing offenses fail to score a touchdown.

Eleven days later, the Broncos reached another stratum of embarrassment, when their offense imploded in a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in which the offense generated just 72 net yards on seven drives after halftime, only scoring when given a short field after an interception. By December, the Broncos were flexed out of prime time — even though they were facing the eventual champions from Kansas City.

SEPTEMBER 17, 2023: THE PACE OF THINGS

You could pick your poison when it came to storylines from the Broncos’ 35-33 loss to the Washington Commanders that day. But for Payton, a frustration that sat with him was the manner in which they wasted timeouts — including one on their sixth snap of the game when substitutions came in slowly. And the Broncos moved at a languid pace in the fourth quarter when trailing by two scores.

So, when Payton was asked about methodologies to improve the pace, he replied, “Great question,” then offered a multi-pronged answer:

• Reducing the verbiage in the huddle and at the line of scrimmage
• Having the quarterback wear a wristband with the longer plays on it

“We have to reduce the variables,” Payton said then.

It was the first sign that something was truly amiss. The Broncos were 0-2, although they’d generally moved the football effectively, through the air as well as on the ground. But it wasn’t winning, complementary football. What would become evident in October was that the Broncos’ best chance for success was to put less on the quarterback and lean more on a ball-control, clock-chewing style. In other words, to make the quarterback a manager, rather than a galvanizer.

That wasn’t the passer for whom the Broncos were paying $124 million in full guarantees.

LATE OCTOBER-EARLY NOVEMBER 2023: THE $37 MILLION CONUNDRUM

Anyone paying even moderate attention to the chatter around the Broncos knows the significance of $37 million relative to Wilson. It’s his 2025 base salary, and it is guaranteed if he is on the roster for the fifth day of the 2024 league year. It is also guaranteed for injury, meaning that if he suffers an injury leading up to that deadline, the Broncos will remain on the hook for the outlay.

Which is why negotiations commenced to see if that clause could be eliminated or kicked down the road. This week, a he-said/she-said scenario played out through media as to the nature of the Broncos’ request — and whether it came with a threat to bench Wilson for the balance of the season if he declined to acquiesce to the restructured contract. Wilson’s camp could not be blamed for rejecting the deal. But the Broncos also can’t be blamed for proposing it — even though it meant going back on a contract of which they were a part of negotiating.

The bottom line is that Wilson kept playing. And to his credit, he didn’t appear to let it affect his demeanor or enthusiasm. Some of that is likely due to his belief in “neutral thinking.” That has helped him maintain his poise in close-and-late situations on game adays; it likely aided him here, as well.

But at this point, it was clear: The marriage was careening toward divorce.

DEC. 26, 2023: BASE OFFENSE DOESN’T FIT RUSSELL WILSON

Two days earlier, the Broncos fell to the previously 3-11 New England Patriots, 26-23. Their realistic playoff hopes died, leaving them on a wing and a prayer.

Payton didn’t take long to lament the mediocre state of the offense in multiple factors. He went back to communication, beginning one thought by saying, “reduce the –” … which, of course, seemed to lead to him coming back to the verbiage. He didn’t use that word, but he asked rhetorically, “Is there too much in?”

A few minutes later, I asked Payton if there was anything from the fourth-quarter revival that could be applied to improve the offense in the first three quarters. After all, in December, the Broncos have more touchdowns in the fourth quarter — 5 — than the first three quarters combined (4).

Specific to the fourth quarter last Sunday, Payton described the work as “more spontaneous,” with greater use of spread formations and empty backfields.

But he dismissed the notion of going full-time with it.

Asked Sean Payton if there was anything to take from the 4th qtr. to perhaps apply to the rest of the game. “It was more spontaneous, it was more spread empty (backfield)… And we made some plays. But it’s hard to say you’re going to make a living that way as your base offense.” pic.twitter.com/8C3z0SV3vD

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) December 26, 2023

“We made some plays,” Payton said. “But it’s hard to say you’re going to make a living that way as your base offense.”

In other words, despite Wilson’s effectiveness at a quick pace with the chance to make plays beyond the designed structure, this wasn’t something Payton saw as translatable to the rest of the game.

Approximately 24 hours after uttering these sentiments publicly, Payton pulled the plug on Wilson’s run as Broncos starter. And it was clear: For what Payton wants to do, Wilson wasn’t the quarterback to do it. He was no more effective than Teddy Bridgewater in 2019 and Jameis Winston in 2021 — and by some metrics, considerably less effective. And those players cost a fraction of Wilson.

If the Broncos move away from Wilson in the coming months, their cap crunch will likely force a cost-controlled solution like those two QBs. Or Jarrett Stidham.

That’s hardly where anyone expected the Broncos to be 21 months ago. Then, Wilson arrived with the pomp of a conquering hero. Now, his potential exit could be a quiet one.