Sean Payton is called the ‘quarterback whisperer’ for a reason. Coaching a legend like Drew Brees and developing Taysom Hill into a household name in the league earned Coach Payton this reputation. He even led Teddy Bridgewater to a 5-0 record in 2019. So, when the head man gave up on Russell Wilson and picked Bo Nix 12th overall, many believed it to be a part of the broader plan.
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The majority felt that if Payton couldn’t fix Russ, maybe he was beyond fixing, which is why they accepted paying over $40 million to a quarterback to play for another team. But this also means that Payton has to prove he’s found his playmaker in Nix, or it could all come crumbling down for him.
Payton simply won’t get a pass this year if things don’t end well for the Broncos. The rookie quarterback must show splashes of brilliance, and only this could keep Coach Payton’s job safe — demonstrating that Nix is the future of the Broncos.
Along similar lines, Emmanuel Acho posed a question to his panel on ‘Speak’: “Does Sean Payton get a pass this year?” And the answer was a resounding “no.”
The panel unanimously believe that if the coach had played this differently, perhaps by keeping Wilson around, he could have claimed helplessness. Instead, he took a cunning approach by betting on Nix.
NFL analyst Dave Helman, for example, believes that if Payton wanted a pass this year, he had other options, stating, “For starters, we all thought Russell Wilson’s contract made him impossible to get rid of.” If Payton had just stuck to that stance and said, ‘My hands are tied,’ he would have gotten a pass.
Even after keeping Wilson, Payton could have drafted Nix and developed him behind the scenes while the veteran quarterback held the fort. Alternatively, he could have drafted and bet on Spencer Rattler with a 5th or 6th-round pick, similar to what his former team, the Saints, did. But Payton had broader plans.
This is why Helman argued:
“(Payton) Cannonballed (himself) into this thing. There were ways that he could’ve done this; that would make me more inclined to give him a pass. And I’m not saying the Broncos have to win the division. But, at the very least, if Sean Payton can’t get good quarterback play out of Bo Nix very quickly, then I’m not giving him a pass at all. He signed up for this.”
Others on the panel agreed that with a 12th overall pick hanging in the Broncos’ facility, Payton has a lot to prove this year. Another reason Coach Payton needs to succeed is that Nix, at 24, is the most experienced quarterback coming out of college with 61 starts.
Payton’s master-plan must not backfire
By drafting one of the most experienced college recruits in the past decade, Payton arguably has a target on his back. Most analysts and draft experts had Nix projected to go late in the first round or even the second round. However, with five quarterbacks selected in the first 11 picks, Payton likely didn’t want to gamble his chances.
And now that decision has to come to fruition. The expectations for the Broncos might not be to maintain a winning record; that’s not what he’ll be judged on this year. They can surround Nix with the right pieces and work towards making the team a contender, which could take a few years without rushing the process.
However, Nix must prove his potential and show his mettle almost from day one; a lot is riding on his shoulders. If he succeeds, he could join the ranks of greats like John Elway and Peyton Manning, and Payton could secure his job for the long term. But let’s not forget that in the NFL landscape, no one is safe, not even Bill Belichick.
