Denver Broncos legend Terrell Davis has explained why he thinks Russell Wilson will benefit from new head coach Sean Payton.
Payton was brought in by the Broncos at the end of last season following a trade with the New Orleans Saints. The Broncos gave up a two NFL draft picks in order to get Payton as their new head coach, and replace interim Jerry Rosburg.
The Broncos will be looking for significant improvement on last season, which saw them finish 5-12 and fourth in the AFC West. Work has already got underway as Payton takes charge of the team during the off-season organised team activities (OTA), with quarterback Russell Wilson also hard at work.
Wilson is getting ready for his second season in Denver, following a trade with the Seattle Seahawks in 2022. The QB also signed a five-year deal worth $245 million with $165m guaranteed, and will be keen to help the team have a much better season than his last.
Davis is no stranger to success with the Broncos, winning two Super Bowls in his six-year stint as a player from 1995-2001. During that time he was coached by Mike Shanahan, and has now explained why he notices similarities with what Payton is currently doing in Denver.
The former running back, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017, has explained why he thinks that the arrival of Payton will be beneficial to Wilson in his second season in Denver.
"It's different already," Davis told TMZ Sports . "In terms of just the energy and the vibe around the building."
“You just look for small things, and you see what Sean has done as soon as he came in. He quieted the noise around a lot of talk that was coming out of the building.
"They're just working. He's changing the culture there. He's putting his own stamp on things behind the scenes.
“I’m excited, I met with Sean a few weeks ago and we talked for probably a good hour at an event. And just to hear some of the things that he was saying resonated with me.
"This reminds me of Mike Shanahan when he first came to Denver," added Davis, who played for the legendary Denver coach from 1995 through 2001, winning two Super Bowls.
"A lot of things that Mike did, it sounds like Sean Payton is the same type of coach.
“So that in itself gives the Broncos stability, it gives them an identity, and it gives them a good starting place. It’s not going to be a finished product when they start the season, they have to go through a year and flush out some of the kinks there.
“But as far as Russell is concerned, I think this is exactly what Russ needs, is a coach like Sean Payton. To get him back to being the Russ that we saw in Seattle, so I’m excited about that and looking forward to seeing the Broncos this season.”
