Sean Payton addresses quarterback decision

Sean Payton led a charmed life as an NFL coach for many years, having future Hall of Famer Drew Brees as his quarterback for 15 seasons with the New Orleans Saints.

After resuming his NFL coaching career with the Denver Broncos in 2023, Payton had to learn how to deal with quarterback decisions, struggles and controversy, and he didn’t do very well last year. Payton’s relationship with veteran QB Russell Wilson steadily soured throughout the season. The Denver offense sputtered, the veteran coach screamed at Wilson on the sideline in one game, Wilson got benched , and the media criticized Payton for how he handled the situation.

Wilson eventually fled Denver in free agency for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Now, the Broncos have two new quarterbacks, rookie Bo Nix and former New York Jets starter Zach Wilson, to go along with holdover Jarrett Stidham.

Payton called the Broncos quarterback battle “an ongoing evaluation” on Thursday. But when asked about Wilson’s experience as a starter, compared to the lack of playing time for Nix and Stidham, Payton seemed stumped.

“Um,” Payton said before pausing for more than five seconds.

“I think we’ll be able to see that a little bit clearer in the games, but look, he’s learning a new offense, just like Bo is. But there’s a calming presence to seeing him. In other words, I think that experience, you begin to appreciate what’s most important maybe sometimes and not worry about some of the things that aren’t as important. … Less wasted energy, maybe.”

Payton’s plain vanilla answer revealed no new information in the end, but his pregnant pause spoke volumes. Perhaps he wanted to speak his mind, then thought better of it, pausing to find something to say. Maybe part of his mind recalled the good ol’ days when Brees was always the QB1.

Fans had some thoughts about Payton’s pause.

[ Andrew Mason ]

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