This Broncos offseason should have less fanfare, and that’s a good thing

Broncos Country, Let’s Chill.

That should be the theme of the 2023 offseason for Broncos players, their fans and the national media. This team was in the spotlight far too much in 2022 and almost always for the wrong reasons.

We don’t need to reset the list of ways former head coach Nathaniel Hackett botched games, or QB Russell Wilson’s social media blitz that got extremely old, but everyone remembers both of them. It was exhausting and unfathomable that a 5-12 team could get so much attention. Usually groups with that type of record remain way more anonymous.

Even at the Super Bowl this past week, it felt like the chatter early on was more about the Broncos than the two teams playing. Introducing Sean Payton as the next boss and Wilson’s charity being put in the spotlight will do that, but at times it seemed like Denver was overshadowing the biggest games in all of sports. That’s hard to do.

Since the day the news broke the Broncos were trading for Wilson last March, Denver hasn’t had a second to breathe. Some of the attention has been brought on by Wilson himself, some of it feels a little personal. There’s no arguing that Wilson is the most polarizing player in the NFL right now. Everyone has an opinion on him and everyone likes to talk about him.

But so far this offseason Wilson deserves credit, as the constant social media barrage has settled down considerably. The QB did post a photo with Payton at the Super Bowl, but he looked noticeably thinner. That’s a good sign the work is being put in without Wilson needing the validation of constantly sharing it on Instagram or Twitter.

It’s been a pleasant five weeks since the season ended, let’s make it a pleasant five months. Even the topsy and turvy coaching search worked out in the end, as the Broncos landed a home run in the form of Payton.

Sure, there’s business to take care of. What’s the future hold for defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones? He’ll be a free agent come March and the Broncos have to figure out if they want to give him a massive new contract or franchise tag him. Letting him walk out the door to sign with another team shouldn’t be a consideration.

And how about Jerry Jeudy’s fifth-year contract option? It seems like with his strong finish to the year, GM George Paton and Payton would be crazy to not pick it up. The former first-round pick out of Alabama finally flashed the star potential we all hoped for coming out of college.

Finally, there’s the draft. Paton can’t whiff on picks this year like he did last year. Let’s hope the likes of Nik Bonitto and Montrell Washington pan out, but for now, they appear to be busts. With limited draft selections thanks to the Wilson trade and now the Payton trade, Paton can’t afford to miss. If he does, it might very well be his last draft with the Broncos.

All those decisions will be important, but they’re football decisions. That’s the kind of stuff we should be excited about and discussing. Not photo / video ops in San Diego where Wilson and the Denver receivers look good for the camera, but clearly built very little chemistry. Let’s hope Wilson puts the world travels aside, instead finding a home-base and grinding in one spot.

Essentially, everything the Broncos did last offseason should be the opposite this time around. Trying to be the celebrity team didn’t work out at all, and it blew up in their faces. Fans around the league seemed to revel in their failures, of in which there were many.

An offseason where the Broncos aren’t making headlines on a daily basis sounds ideal. The latest Super Bowl odds show Denver isn’t really on the radar of the oddsmakers, and perhaps that’s a good thing.

All the hype this time last year led to one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history. A quieter spring and summer would be a much better strategy this time around.

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