Sean Payton: Only one reason Russell Wilson’s office was a problem

Winning comes with perks.

The Broncos didn’t do much of that last season, so gone are special privileges for quarterback Russell Wilson, such as his own office at the team’s facility and his performance team being granted special access. That much was made clear by Sean Payton when he was introduced as the Broncos new head coach earlier this month.

On Tuesday at the NFL Combine, Payton expounded on that notion.

“A lot was made of that, and it was just an honest answer,” he told reporters. “I know what I’m familiar with and what I’m expecting. You guys will hear me throughout this season: At some point, you guys will digest ’22, but for me and this team when we get into the offseason, I’m going to park a car with no rearview mirror, sideview mirrors. Those will all be gone. We’ve got to get past all those difficult things. It was a tough year, and someone said it last night, they have success last [year], I don’t think the upstairs meeting room matters to anybody. I don’t think it matters, because I didn’t see any articles from any of you prior to Week 1 or Week 2 when it was happening. That’s what happens when you lose. Everything gets looked at closely, including the coaching.

Broncos coach Sean Payton speaks to the media during the NFL Combine at the Indiana Convention Center on Feb. 28, 2023.
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“We’ll have a way of doing business, and I think it’ll be what I’m familiar with and what’s best for the players.”

The Broncos hired Payton after going just 5-12 last season with what ranked across the board as one of the worst offenses in the league in Wilson’s first year in Denver after the Broncos acquired him from Seattle in a blockbuster deal last offseason.

Payton, 59, replaced Nathaniel Hackett, who was fired just 15 games into his first season as head coach.

Hackett has since been hired to be the Jets’ offensive coordinator, while Payton has met at least once with Wilson since taking the job. The two had dinner in Arizona during the Super Bowl earlier this month and Payton said they’ve exchanged texts since and will meet periodically in the month ahead.