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Sean Payton teams up with Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos after a year out of the NFL. Expectations will be high for the pair after so much capital was invested in both these personalities.
The Broncos have already made a splash during the 2023 NFL offseason. They sent a 2023 first-round pick and a 2024 second-round pick in exchange for Payton and a 2024 third-round pick from the New Orleans Saints.
However, just because so much was spent pairing Payton and Wilson up, there's no guarantee that they will be an instant success together. There is a great potential for the partnership to come unstuck.
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Let's look at three reasons why such a thing could happen.
#1 - Russell Wilson's 2022 struggles
As we all know, Russell Wilson struggled mightily in 2022, in his first season with the Denver Broncos. This was under head coach Nathaniel Hackett, who wouldn't last the year. However, one could argue how much difference can a change in coach make to a quarterback's play?
Wilson only passed for 16 touchdowns against 11 picks and posted the lowest completion rating of his career. There's no doubt that he will be better in 2023, but there's no guarantee he will be anything like his former self.
#2 - AFC West
Sean Payton and Russell Wilson are part of the AFC West and face off against the Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, and Las Vegas Raiders twice a year.
With Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert already in the division, and Aaron Rodgers highly touted to join them, Payton could have the worst quarterback in the division. An uphill battle for anyone, let alone a new head coach who sat out of 2022.
#3 - Lack of NFL Draft picks
After making the moves for Wilson and Payton, the Denver Broncos don't have a draft pick until round three of the 2023 NFL Draft.
After investing in the pair, they'd usually be looking to select elite talent through the draft on cheap rookie deals. However, as they're not selecting until 68th overall, this task is extremely difficult.
Payton is inheriting the same roster Hackett struggled so much with, and with a middle-of-the-road cap room, they might struggle to overhaul the roster.
