The first year with Russell Wilson didn’t go as planned for the Denver Broncos when they signed the quarterback to a massive contract extension.
The Broncos finished 5-12 last season, good enough for last place in the AFC West. The Broncos promptly fired their coach, Nathaniel Hackett, and hired former Super Bowl champion Sean Payton.
The first order of business for Payton will be fixing the play of Wilson. Though Wilson showed flashes of his old self last season, he looked like one of the worst starting quarterbacks in the league during large swaths of play and was a big reason for the Broncos’ terrible season.
However, Payton is getting a vote of confidence from legendary NFL coach Dick Vermeil. Vermeil said it couldn’t be done if Payton can’t fix Russell Wilson’s play. He also added that Payton, along with current Chiefs coach Andy Reid, is one of the best offensive minds in the game.
Hall of Fame coach Dick Vermeil on if #Broncos first-year coach Sean Payton can turn around QB Russell Wilson: "If he can't do it, it can't be done." More Vermeil on Payton. "I have tremendous respect for him. To me, he and Andy Reid are the offensive coaches of the decade."
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) May 10, 2023
Vermeil started coaching in the NFL as a Los Angeles Rams special teams coach in 1969. He rose through the ranks before returning to the collegiate level for his first head coaching job with the UCLA Bruins.
Vermeil left the Bruins after two seasons to return to the NFL, where he coached the Philadelphia Eagles, the then-St. Louis Rams and Kansas City Chiefs.
Vermeil later won Super Bowl XXIV and was named Associated Press Coach of the Year in 1999.
