Sean Payton doesn’t let Russell Wilson have a personal coach

The Denver Broncos had a disastrous 2022 season, finishing Russell Wilson’s first season under center 5-12. The team fired head coach Nathaniel Hackett after 15 games and is banking heavily on new head coach Sean Payton finding a way, Wilson and the offense to revive — and sending the 29th choice in this year’s draft for Payton to New Orleans.

With a lack of top draft picks, Denver is finding it harder than usual to improve the roster, and they expect Payton’s expertise in team building and maximizing offensive talent to lead a turnaround. The task for Payton is immense, and one of the biggest early challenges will be establishing a brand new culture in Denver after a year that has been sorely lacking. We’ve heard a number of stories about Wilson not exactly being a popular part of the team at Denver or Seattle over the past year, and Payton seems to understand that getting the Broncos back on track is part of it and part of the whole Team support makes Wilson a member of the team.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Payton was asked if Wilson had a personal trainer with full access to the Broncos facility and he seemed surprised by this, noting that “this isn’t going to happen again.”

Payton’s face when the reporter states this was a thing is incredible as he seems incredulous that anyone would allow personal trainers to be separate from team staff in the building. It’s one thing to have a trainer (Tom Brady’s trainer is the most high-profile version we’ve seen in years), but a personal trainer is wild indeed. Payton hasn’t, and comes in with a pedigree and resume that should allow him to earn Wilson’s respect in a way Hackett clearly didn’t have. Whether or not that can get everyone on the same page has yet to be determined, but it will be fascinating to see what happens in Denver if nothing else.