The Denver Broncos made the decision to part ways with quarterback Russell Wilson this offseason after he did not perform the way that they had hoped during his two seasons with the team, but it sounds like the team is aware that Wilson was not the sole source of all of their problems.
During a recent interview at the NFL league meetings this week, Denver Broncos general manager George Paton admitted the brutal truth about Russell Wilson: he was not the sole person to blame for the team’s struggles on offense. Paton also took blame himself for the fact that things did not work out.
“We took a shot on a quarterback who’s had a lot of success in this league,” Paton said according to Mike Klis of KUSA. “Nine Pro Bowls, won the most the first 10 years in this league. It wasn’t just Russ. There’s a lot of contributing factors as to why we didn’t win. At the end of the day, we didn’t play good enough offense. We didn’t win enough games. I’m accountable for that. No one tried harder than Russ to make this work. Appreciate his effort, the professionalism he showed. Total pro. Wish him the best in Pittsburgh, he’s going to a good team. Just wish the best.”
Obviously, this is a pretty significant thing to admit, and it led to a lot of reactions on social media.
How about no weapons
— Ballhogaholic (@ballhogaholic) March 25, 2024
Well, for starters, you hired the wrong coach in Nathaniel Hackett. Hiring Dan Quinn was the obvious choice, and you dropped the ball, Paton.
And I, for one, was lobbying for Quinn after Daboll went to the Giants. https://t.co/TOdqHbj7uT
— BroncoFanatic97 (@BroncoFanatic97) March 25, 2024
To be clear: George Paton still has his job after making the worst coaching hire of this decade, trading the farm for his “plan B” at QB, and giving that QB $250m resulting in the largest dead cap hit in the history of human civilization.
Thank goodness he’s accountable though. https://t.co/6Rp7ZbL90R
— Rhett, Nugglife’d (@PastorRhett) March 25, 2024
YOU created this mess https://t.co/uISwHg9Qel
— ZÂY 💸💸💸 (@OwnedBySutton) March 25, 2024
Solid response from George. I appreciate him taking responsibility, just like he did on Hackett. Still, at some point you can only say “my bad” so many times. https://t.co/7N7dFCarYH
— Will Petersen (@PetersenWill) March 25, 2024
We’ll have to see how Wilson fares in Pittsburgh and how the Broncos do without Wilson going forward.
[KUSA]
