As the Broncos head toward the end of Sean Payton’s first season as head coach, the question of whether the team will keep quarterback Russell Wilson until March 2024, when he is fully guaranteed another $37 million. will continue to attract attention.
wilson dodged the question As for his future after the loss to the Patriots on Christmas Eve. Payton wasn’t asked directly about the incident by reporters Tuesday, but questions about the consistency of the attack drew an almost ominous reaction.
“When you look at those things, they’re very often self-inflicted problems,” Payton said. “That’s got to be wiped out. That’s communication. It might need to be cut down — isn’t it too much? Right now we’re average or below average in a lot of ways offensively, but we’re not good enough.” do not have.”
Given that Wilson is the straw that stirs the drink, the fact that the drink is not stirred to the chief bartender’s satisfaction is problematic. Especially since he only has two chances left to “clean up” things.
“I think the step that’s going on right now is understanding how not to lose games before you learn how to win games,” Payton said later. “Two-thirds of the games we watch every weekend are lost before they are won. We are still learning that the hard way.”
Only Peyton knows who he believes is responsible. But again, the quarterback is the central figure that makes everything work. For now, the focus will be on winning the last home game of the season against the Chargers, and then whether or not they can make the playoffs.
“We haven’t played well at home, at least from the Broncos fans and from our experience playing at home, we haven’t lived up to expectations,” Payton said.
The team’s plans for Wilson likely won’t be known until after the season. But if the Broncos lose at home to the Chargers and are eliminated by the time they play the Raiders in Week 18, the immediate question is whether Payton will decide to give Jarrett Stidham a chance to see what he can do offensively. becomes a problem. Whatever the explanation, it was interpreted as a move to keep Wilson from returning from his last game with an injury in order to prevent the Broncos from breaking Wilson’s contract before his next $37 million vests. may and will be interpreted.
That’s exactly what the Raiders did last year with Derek Carr — giving Stidham a chance to play in the final two games of the year and preserving the Raiders’ ability to make changes at the centerpiece position of every offense in the NFL. is.