Even under Sean Payton, the Denver Broncos were a drama-filled team that missed out on the playoffs

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Sean Payton was hired to clean up the mess Nathaniel Hackett left behind, put the Denver Broncos back on the path to the playoffs and salvage the $242.6 million investment the team made in Russell Wilson just five months earlier. Wilson, who went 11-19 in orange and navy, revealed after he was benched that management had approached him in the aftermath of Denver’s biggest win in years — a 24-9 thrashing of the Chiefs in Week 8 that snapped the Broncos’ 16-game losing streak to Kansas City — and said they’d sit him if he didn’t adjust his $37 million injury guarantee for 2024. It’s our job to get better at every position and you have to look inside first before you start worrying about everything else.” WHAT’S WORKING Denver’s defense was its calling card despite that 70-20 meltdown at Miami in Week 3, something coordinator Vance Joseph referenced throughout the season as the Broncos bounced back to become one of the better units in the NFL over the last three months. NEXT STEPS The Broncos’ top priority is finding a starting quarterback Payton can work with, whether that’s another team’s castoff or a draft pick.