In 2022, the Denver Broncos went 5-12 and were the laughingstock of the NFL. It was Russell Wilson’s first season and head coach Nathaniel Hackett’s first year as well. Hackett clearly was not cut out for the job and he struggled immensely. He was fired mid-season and the Broncos turned their attention to a Super Bowl winning head coach. 

The Broncos traded a 2023 first-round and a 2024 second-round pick to acquire the rights to Sean Payton’s contract from the Saints. Payton called Nithanlei Hackett’s season “one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL”. Hackett was not solely responsible for Denver’s poor season, but the head coach always has to answer when times are tough.

Sean Payton is determined to do the “opposite” of what the Broncos accomplished last season

Update: New #Broncos coach Sean Payton opens up about how badly he thinks the 2022 Broncos were coached, via @JarrettBell

“They can only beat the (expletive) out of you so much. But everybody’s got a little stink on their hands. It’s not just Russell. It was a (poor) offensive… pic.twitter.com/nTeCjabPYA

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) July 27, 2023

Denver’s new head coach Sean Payton said the team got “embarrassed” last season. He said “Everybody’s got a little stink on their hands” even though Russell Wilson took a lot of the blame. However, you can’t look over just how bad Nathaniel Hackett was as a head coach for the Broncos. Since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970, he’s one of four head coaches not to finish their first season with a team.

In 15 seasons as the head coach of the New Orleans Saints, Sean Payton finished with a 152-89 overall record. For all of his time in New Orleans, he had Drew Brees as his QB. Last season, Payton was an analyst with Fox. He took a year off from coaching and was able to view the NFL as a whole.

#Broncos HC Sean Payton tells @JarrettBell he’s going to be “pissed off” if they’re not a playoff team, and Russell Wilson was working with of “one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL” last season.

Payton didn’t hold back. https://t.co/OgJQ7hGSas pic.twitter.com/J889J5X1Em

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) July 27, 2023

Head coach Sean Payton called the Broncos’ 2022 season “hard to watch”. Last year, Nathaniel Hackett allowed Russell Wilson to have his own personal QB and support staff in the team’s complex. Payton said that will not be happening as long as he’s the head coach. There’s no question that the Broncos were one of the worst-coached teams in the NFL last season.

When speaking with USA Today’s Jarrett Bell, Payton said he’s supported Wilson this offseason. He thinks the 34-year-old “has plenty of gas left in the tank”. Sean Payton is one of the best offensive minds of the last decade and he knows how to get the most out of his players. He’ll find a way to scheme the offense around Wilson’s strenght’s and the skill player they have. Denver plans to have a big turnaround in 2023.