Just a day after firing coach Nathaniel Hackett, Broncos general manager George Paton spoke to media members and addressed their franchise quarterback’s ongoing situation.
Russell Wilson is currently playing the worst football of his career in the first season with Denver and critics have not let him forget. The Broncos gave up a haul of draft picks and players to trade for Wilson, thinking he’d elevate the team to a Super Bowl contender but instead he leads one of the worst offenses in the NFL.
Paton addressed Wilson’s diminished play and called him “fixable.”
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“We saw flashes of Russ this year. Russ even said he didn’t play up to his standard,” Paton said. “He’ll be the first one to tell you he didn’t play up to his standard; didn’t play up to our standard. He needs to be better.
“I don’t think we made a coaching move based on Russ,” he continued. “That wasn’t what it’s all about. That’s not why we’re getting a new coach, to turn around Russ, it’s about the entire organization. It’s about the entire football team. It’s just not one player. It’s not whether Russ is fixable or not. We do believe he is. We do.”
The Broncos are 4–11 and Wilson has thrown for just 3,019 yards and 12 touchdowns to nine interceptions—unfamiliar territory for a nine-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion. His career low in passing yards was last year at 3,113 yards when he played in 14 games.
