Tag: Payton

Dec 28, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton takes the field before a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

Sean Payton on ending Broncos’ playoff drought: ‘We all like a challenge’

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Sean Payton has a monumental task in preparing his team for Sunday’s wild-card game at Buffalo, so the second-year Denver Broncos coach isn’t wasting time relishing in proving his doubters wrong.

The prospect of the Broncos ending a playoff drought that had dated back to their Super Bowl-winning season of 2015 appeared dim after Payton’s first year in Denver ended with an 8-9 record and a parting with quarterback Russell Wilson.

But in stepped rookie Bo Nix, who threw a career-high-tying four touchdown passes in leading Denver to its 10th victory of the season on Sunday. In doing so, the Broncos clinched the No. 7 seed in the AFC playoffs and a date with the second-seeded Bills on Sunday.

It has been a quick and dramatic turnaround for a franchise that was mired with massive salary cap restraints when Payton arrived just two years ago.

“We all like a challenge, right? I guess it’s like a challenge when someone says ‘X.’ The first thing I think of is, ‘Who is that someone?’” Payton said Monday. “… I think your players certainly do have a little bit of a chip when they see those initial prognostications or whatever. Then eventually when you’re in this long enough, you tune that stuff out because half those people don’t have a clue what they’re talking about.

“Yes, who’s done this before with over $80 million (in dead cap) — all those things you think about. No one’s done that before. Let’s be the first one.”

Payton faces a different type of challenge in preparing his team for the Bills, who went 13-4 during the regular season and are led by quarterback Josh Allen, who many believe will win his first Most Valuable Player award.

Buffalo went 8-0 at home during the regular season, and began the week as a consensus nine-point favorite.

“Put your best foot forward in preparing to play your best game against a real good football team. That’s where the focus is,” Payton said. “I probably — as the head coach — paid attention to, ‘What are these things that can possibly distract from that process outside the building or even inside the building?’

“The euphoria of, ‘We’re back in the playoffs. We finally have gotten back in.’ Trying to monitor that and understand how that may — or try to prevent that from impacting the edge and the preparation. I think that comes up often as a head coach sometimes and vice versa during the season when the sky is falling. Making sure that your players understand that it’s really not. It’s just cloudy, rainy and stormy, but it’s going to be sunny again.”

The actual skies might be anything but sunny on Sunday in Buffalo, where the gametime forecast currently calls for clouds and temperatures in the low 30s with the potential for snow flurries. Add that to the prospect of facing Allen, who finished the regular season with 3,731 passing yards and 28 touchdowns while adding another 531 yards and 12 scores on the ground.

“We shift gears completely,” Payton said when asked about preparing for Allen. “Obviously there are a lot of challenges. He’s had an MVP season. He’s strong. I think it’s one thing to get to him, but then the other thing is how many times do we see him come off of the initial tackler? How do you bring him down? Who can bring him down? He does such a good job with plays that are broken down. There’s a lot that goes into that.

“The focus this week will be obviously shifting all towards Buffalo and how to slow down a team that’s as hot as anyone in the league.”

–Field Level Media

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton looks on in the third quarter of the NFL game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024.

Broncos’ Sean Payton: Chiefs earned right to rest players

Posted on | by Field Level Media

The Broncos would clinch a playoff berth with a win on Sunday, and Denver coach Sean Payton isn’t concerned that the opposition won’t be at full strength.

Denver (9-7) plays host to the Kansas City Chiefs (15-1), who have wrapped up AFC West title and the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC playoffs. The Chiefs will hold out quarterback Patrick Mahomes and other starters in the regular-season finale to keep the squad healthy for a run at a third consecutive Super Bowl title.

Payton said Wednesday, “Like I said to the team this morning, ‘Our focus has got to be on this team in general.’ They’ll be, I’m sure, some different people in different places. …

“Credit to Kansas City, (Chiefs coach) Andy (Reid) and his team. When you go 15-1, then you’re afforded those decisions. I’ve been in that position where your team might need a break here or there. They’ve earned that and that’s part of the deal. For us, it’s about understanding what we’re seeing scheme-wise and being ready to play our best game.”

Chiefs backup QB Carson Wentz will get the start in place of Mahomes. Wentz owns a 47-45-1 record as an NFL starter but is on his fifth team in five years and has made just one start over the past two seasons, a win for the Los Angeles Rams one year ago this week.

“He’s in this league for a reason,” Payton said. “He’s big, and he’s strong. He was a first-round draft pick. We spoke during the offseason a little bit with him and his agents. It’s the player but it’s also everything around it and understanding what they’re trying to do.”

The Broncos would wrap up a wild-card berth with a victory or if both Miami Dolphins and Cincinnati Bengals lose or tie this weekend.

“I’ve got a lot of confidence in the team,” Payton said. “Yes, it’s a big game. Like I said before, I think we’ll play in bigger, but this is a big game. It’s a division opponent. We’re playing a team with championship pedigree. They’re well-coached and we’ve got a tremendous amount of respect for what they’ve accomplished.

“We understand (that) we’re going to have to play well. That’s what gets you excited about coaching in this league. It’s what gets you excited about playing in this league. It’s important we have a good week of preparation.”

–Field Level Media

Oct 17, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) throws during the first quarter against the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Broncos’ Sean Payton wary of ‘over-coaching’ QB Bo Nix

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Bo Nix’s inconsistent footwork has been a consistent throughout the Denver Broncos’ 4-3 start to the season, but head coach Sean Payton said that he’s also wary of “over-coaching” his rookie quarterback.

Nix threw for only 164 yards while completing 16 of 26 passes in the Broncos’ 33-10 victory at New Orleans on Thursday night. But the passing game took a backseat with Denver rushing for 225 yards and dominating time of possession in a game that was well in hand by the middle of the third quarter.

Amazon analyst Kirk Herbstreit was the latest to highlight Nix’s inconsistent footwork during the telecast after the quarterback misfired to multiple open receivers.

Nix is completing 61.2 percent of his passes with five touchdowns against five interceptions on the season while posting a 74.4 quarterback rating. He has a “D” report card thus far by data analytics company Inside Edge. While Nix has an A- grade for pass attempts per sack (18. percent), he has received failing grades thus far for overall hit target percentage (69.1), mid hit target (58.8) and deep hit target (39.1).

Inside Edge also grades Nix with a D- for passer rating under pressure (46.3) and passer rating no pressure (80.0).

“I think you have to be careful you’re not over-coaching,” Payton said Monday. “There are some things he does very well out of the pocket or climbing up in the pocket. I think we start with the focus on timing of the route, the depth of the route in the (shot)gun or under center, (is it a) three-, five- or seven(-step drop back)?

“We work on the rhythm of the play so that his feet marry up to the depth of the route. The times where he’s climbing the pocket or moving in the pocket, we’re pretty smart about how much we saw or how much we try to fix.”

Nix did contribute 75 of those rushing yards as well, bringing his total to 255 yards and three touchdowns on the ground this season. Payton also said Nix’s abilities with his legs have provided an unexpected element to his play-calling.

“I think that he’s a little bit faster than maybe we anticipated even coming out from a running standpoint,” Payton said. “So it does give you some flexibility particularly on third down or in the red zone.”

Denver rebounded from its Week 6 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers and has now won four of its past five games to remain in the thick of the AFC wild-card picture.

The Broncos now return home, where they are 1-2 this season, to face the reeling Carolina Panthers (1-6) on Sunday. It’s a critical game with challenging trips to Baltimore and Kansas City the following two weeks.

“I think the focus really always starts inward, not as much outward,” Payton said. “Certainly, we have to study the opponent. Our preparation, all the things we have to do to get ready to play a game, to play our best game is what the focal point will be, and the details.

“There are still a lot of things that we have to be better at.”

–Field Level Media

Oct 13, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton looks on during the second quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Broncos’ Sean Payton preparing for ‘unique’ New Orleans return

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Sean Payton has coached numerous players who have returned to play against their former teams in the NFL, and he acknowledged it will be “unique” when he enters the Caesars Superdome as a visitor on Thursday night.

Payton patrolled those sidelines as the New Orleans Saints’ head coach from 2006-21, guiding the franchise to its lone title in Super Bowl XLIV. After a year working as a studio analyst, Payton took the reins of the Denver Broncos in 2023.

He returns to the Big Easy in what shapes up as an important Week 7 game for both teams. The Broncos (3-3) are coming off a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, while the Saints (2-4) have dropped four consecutive games.

Payton’s return to New Orleans has additional hurdles as Denver travels on a short week.

“I think those around us know how challenging the short week is as compared to as if it was a full week,” Payton said Monday. “Certainly, there will be emotions going back there with players, but I do think that comes up quite a bit in our league. With players and in this case certainly the amount of time I was there, I understand it.

“We have to deal with the crowd noise. That place is loud, and you guys know that.”

Payton sees a bit of a silver lining with the short week in that it doesn’t give him time to get tied up in the extracurricular elements surrounding the game. That includes Drew Brees, Payton’s quarterback from 2006-20, being inducted into the Saints’ Hall of Fame during a halftime ceremony.

“Fortunately it’s a short week because I haven’t had (a) chance to dive into all the other stuff,” Payton said. “I have already reached out to (Brees), congratulated him and said, ‘This is the first of many.’

“I say this, it’s about the game. It’s about the win, the significance of us playing our best football on a short week, and it’s about our team. I’ll address that with them (Tuesday) morning and (say), ‘Hey, let’s understand the significance of getting our fourth win.’ I think that’s the No. 1 thing and then go from there.”

The game features an interesting matchup between a Saints team that gave up 51 points to Tampa Bay despite intercepting three passes on Sunday, and a Broncos offense that was held scoreless at home until the fourth quarter by the Chargers.

Despite going on to a comfortable win over Las Vegas the week before, the Broncos also failed to score in the first quarter and their first touchdown came on a 100-yard interception return by Patrick Surtain II.

Playing more up-tempo while trying to rally from behind against the Chargers helped Denver produce two fourth-quarter touchdowns, and a faster pace could be a bigger part of the game plan in a loud road environment.

“I think that’s important,” Payton said. “With each team you play, you meet as a staff and you talk about how you think we want the game to unfold and then you plan accordingly.

“Certainly that’s not out of the question. A lot of it is what are you trying to accomplish when you do that? Sometimes that’s done because it can reduce the crowd noise. Sometimes that’s done because you can slow down the pass rush. So, I think it would be something that would be game plan-driven.”

–Field Level Media

Sep 15, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) huddles with teammates in the first quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Broncos stand behind rookie QB, put RBs on alert

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Broncos head coach Sean Payton wants to see improvement from rookie quarterback Bo Nix, but he’s far more concerned with the impact of Denver’s flat-lined running game.

Javonte Williams is averaging 2.1 yards per carry, with 40 yards on 19 carries and zero gains longer than nine yards, as the Broncos started the season 0-2. Payton said it’s on the coaches and offensive line to a certain extent, but put Williams on notice entering Week 3.

“I saw it in training camp,” Payton said of Williams finding his groove. “I look forward to seeing it this season. In the meantime, some of these other guys are doing a good job. (RB) Jaleel [McLaughlin] is another one that needs more touches. We talked about (RB) Tyler Badie. You’re patient, and yet at some point — and it starts up front obviously — you want to see those runs.”

Badie had one carry for 16 yards Sunday in the loss to the Steelers. He could be a more significant factor soon. Payton said it’s his responsibility to find Badie touches.

“It’s something as a play caller, as someone who’s looking at the game, I’ve got to be able to see that,” Payton said of Badie’s one splash play Sunday. “He is a player though who had his name on a lot of different plays that either were red zone or situational plays that we weren’t able to get to. It’s not intentional. It’s not like, ‘Hey we’re not aware.’ You’re just into the flow of the game and you have to be better that way.”

Payton said Nix, who has four interceptions and a 51.0 passer rating, processed the game well against Pittsburgh, even if the results — including an ill-advised red zone throw that was intercepted — don’t make his growth evident.

“A couple of things you see on tape. You see early on us struggle inside which forces him out of the pocket. Then you do see later in the second half, a cleaner pocket and then him hurry it,” Payton said. “It’s developing the confidence of climbing, developing the confidence within the framework of your protection. He does have a good pocket presence for the most part. He’s not someone that’s just going to look to take off and look to scramble. So we’ve got to build on that and make sure it kind of begins with that, relative to the design of what you’re trying to do in the drop-back passing game.”

–Field Level Media

Sep 8, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) passes against the Seattle Seahawks during the second quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Sean Payton: Broncos ‘need to be better around’ QB Bo Nix

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Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton was generally pleased with the performance of rookie quarterback Bo Nix after watching film of the team’s 26-20 loss at Seattle on Sunday.

It’s the group around Nix that he said needs to perform better.

“I think when I watch this tape offensively, we need to be better around him, and we will be,” Payton said on Monday.

Nix completed 26 of 42 passes for 138 yards and no touchdowns while getting intercepted twice. He did score the Broncos’ lone touchdown on a 4-yard scramble in the fourth quarter to cut the Seahawks’ lead to six points.

That Nix led the Broncos with 35 rushing yards was at the core of Payton’s issues. Running backs Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin combined for only 50 yards on 18 carries.

Payton’s game plan involved running the ball effectively in order to keep Nix in manageable down-and-distance situations. However, with the inability to establish the run compounded by falling behind multiple scores in the second half, Nix was forced to throw into the teeth of the Seahawks’ secondary.

“I said it yesterday (and) I’ll say it again. One of the key things that was important in this game is winning the run game battle, and we weren’t able to do that,” Payton said. “We struggled and in that inefficiency on first and second down, it was one of our keys to victory and we were anything but.”

Of Nix’s 138 passing yards, 54 came on the Broncos’ final two drives with Denver trailing by 13 points. One drive ended in an interception, while Nix punctuated the other with his touchdown run.

“Certainly, when we watched this game tape and evaluate the cue, there’s a number of things that we’ll get cleaned up and corrected,” Payton said.

The Broncos’ second-year coach said the pass protection and run blocking “wasn’t good enough,” while pointing to several missed reads on running lanes that were available. Payton also said Nix was hampered by multiple drops from his receivers.

“There may be a game where we plan on throwing it 40 times, not many. So often times, time of possession and runs in the fourth quarter, if you’re up by 10 or more, can get skewed a little bit in your favor, but this is the game where it’s the opposite,” Payton said. “You’re having to throw it to get back in it late.”

The Broncos did come out of the game largely healthy, with Payton saying that X-rays and an MRI for a contusion on offensive tackle Garett Bolles’ leg came back negative.

–Field Level Media

Jan 7, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson (3) warms up before a game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Broncos to accept $85M cap hit, inform QB Russell Wilson of imminent release

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Quarterback Russell Wilson will be released next week at the start of the new league year on March 13, ending a dramatic two-year run in Denver with the Broncos absorbing a record dead-cap hit of $85 million.

Wilson was informed by the Broncos on Monday the team plans to cut him, moving on before his contract called for $37 million in salary guarantees for the 2025 season.

“We spoke with Russell Wilson today to inform him of his release after the start of the league year,” general manager George Paton and head coach Sean Payton said in a joint statement Monday. “On behalf of the Broncos, we thank Russell for his contributions and dedication to our team and community while wishing him the best as he continues his career. As we move forward, we are focused on building the strongest team possible for the 2024 season and beyond. We are excited to improve this offseason and will have the flexibility to get better through the draft and free agency.”

Wilson’s $39 million salary for 2024 was already guaranteed.

Wilson issued his own statement and a thank you to Broncos fans, several teammates and staff members. He ended by saying “Tough times don’t last, but tough people do. God’s got me. I am excited for what’s next.”

Wilson, a nine-time Pro Bowl pick, was acquired from the Seattle Seahawks prior to the 2022 season for three players and five draft choices. The Broncos then gave him a five-year, $242.5 million contract extension before playing a down for the team.

Benched for the final two games of the 2023 season to avoid an injury that would trigger guarantees in his contract, Wilson posted an 11-19 record in 30 starts with the Broncos.

Wilson had 16 touchdown passes against 11 interceptions in 2022. In his first season with Payton as head coach after Nathaniel Hackett was fired, he put up good numbers — 26 touchdowns, eight interceptions — but the Broncos opted to move in another direction.

–Field Level Media

Oct 1, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton talks with quarterback Russell Wilson (3) before a game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports

Broncos’ Sean Payton: Russell Wilson decision coming soon

Posted on | by Field Level Media

INDIANAPOLIS — The Russell Wilson drama continues to percolate but Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton said Tuesday that a decision is on the horizon.

Payton said the team will meet with ownership next week regarding the future of Wilson and he expects a decision to be reached within two weeks.

“I expect that we’re going to know fairly quickly,” Payton said at the NFL Scouting Combine. “… There’s a couple of factors here, obviously the cap projections ($255.4 million) came out, we’re further down the road with the draft class, so I would anticipate it being within the next two weeks.”

Wilson has been much-maligned during his two seasons in Denver and was benched for the final two games of last season in favor of Jarrett Stidham.

If Wilson isn’t traded or released by March 17, then $37 million in salary guarantees for the 2025 season will be locked in.

Making a trade by then doesn’t seem likely based on Tuesday’s comments from Broncos general manager George Paton.

“I haven’t heard anything from any teams so we’ll see,” Paton said.

On Sunday on the “I Am Athlete” podcast with former Broncos receiver Brandon Marshall, Wilson indicated he would prefer to remain with the Broncos.

“I’ve got more fire than ever, honestly, especially over the past two years and what I’ve gone through,” Wilson said. “Whether it’s in Denver or somewhere else. I hope it’s Denver. I hope I get to finish there. I committed there. I wanted to be there. I want to be there.”

Wilson, a nine-time Pro Bowl pick, was acquired from the Seattle Seahawks prior to the 2022 season for three players and five draft choices. The Broncos then gave him a five-year, $242.5 million contract extension before he even played for the club.

There hasn’t been much bang for the buck with Wilson compiling an 11-19 record in 30 starts. Wilson had 16 touchdown passes against 11 interceptions in 2022 and improved the marks to 26 and eight, respectively, last season.

The issue of bad blood can’t be overlooked after the Broncos approached Wilson’s representation in October and asked for the quarterback to push back the injury guarantee date on his contract and included a threat to bench him if he didn’t comply.

“We moved forward, we addressed that,” Paton said. “Everything we did was above board. I appreciate Russ but we moved forward. We have a lot of work to do. We’re here at the combine. We have free agency around the corner. We’re working on bettering our team and winning football games.”

Paton and Payton are both dissecting the available quarterbacks in the 2024 draft class. Denver owns the No. 12 pick and Paton said the club is open to all possibilities, while admitting there’s not enough draft capital to move up to No. 1 where Southern California’s Caleb Williams is expected to be selected.

“It’s the most important position in sports,” Paton said. “So it’s important — whether it’s from within. That’s why this is taking a long time, this decision is very important. If you’re going to draft one, that’s obviously very difficult. … There’s more mistakes it seems at quarterback, especially in the first round.”

Payton is looking forward to evaluating the draft-hopeful quarterbacks.

“I think we’ll be really good at this and to some degree we’re glad that a lot of people aren’t,” Payton said.

The Broncos (8-9) missed the playoffs for the eighth straight season in 2023.

–Field Level Media

Oct 19, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael smiles before a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at the Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-USA TODAY Sports

Report: Broncos to hire former Saints OC Pete Carmichael

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The Denver Broncos are expected to hire former New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael, NOLA.com reported on Tuesday.

While the exact role for Carmichael is unknown, the move will reunite him with Broncos head coach Sean Payton and potentially offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi.

Carmichael, 52, was fired on Jan. 16 after an 18-year stint with New Orleans, including a significant portion as the offensive coordinator under the then-Saints head coach Payton.

Carmichael initially joined Payton’s staff in 2006 and worked with the team’s quarterbacks and passing game for three seasons. Carmichael has served as New Orleans’ offensive coordinator since 2009 and worked through the coaching transition from Payton to Dennis Allen.

The Saints (9-8) finished 14th in total offense (337.2 average yards per game) and 21st in rushing offense (102.5) in 2023, missing out on the playoffs in a tiebreaker with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the NFC South division title.

–Field Level Media

Dec 24, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton talks with quarterback Russell Wilson (3) before the game against the New England Patriots at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Broncos GM approached Russell Wilson’s agent in-season; QB in limbo for ’24

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Russell Wilson was informed by head coach Sean Payton that the Denver Broncos are still working through a decision on his status with the franchise for 2024.

Wilson sat down with Payton in a 30-minute meeting on Monday, according to the coach, where the quarterback was told the Broncos don’t intend to leave him hanging all offseason.

“I told him, ‘Look, I don’t think it’s going to be a long, drawn-out process but it hasn’t been decided relative to what our plans are,” Payton said, adding more clearly that Denver hasn’t made “an official decision” on whether Wilson will be part of the team in 2024.

All signs point to a split as Wilson alleges an ultimatum — involving adjusting injury guarantees in his contract — preceded his benching, with the Broncos promoting backup Jarrett Stidham to start the last two games in an 8-9 season. Payton said he wasn’t privy to financially driven conversations and called that move a “football decision.”

Wilson said the front office approached him after the Broncos’ 24-9 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Oct. 29.

“We beat the Chiefs,” Wilson said. “They came up to me during the bye week and beginning of the bye week, Monday or Tuesday, they told me if I didn’t change my contract, my injury guarantee, that I’d be benched the rest of the year.

“I was definitely disappointed about it. It was a process for the whole bye week. We had just come off beating the Chiefs, I was excited for us fighting for the playoffs and getting on a hot streak. The NFLPA and NFL got involved or whatever at some point.”

Paton said Tuesday he did reach out to Wilson’s representatives in “good faith and creative attempt to adjust his contract.”

“We couldn’t get a deal done, we moved on with our season,” Paton said. “Fast forward to Week 17, Sean makes a change at the QB position. This was a football decision, in the best interest of the team, completely independent of the conversation with the agent.

“Negotiations are hard. You have difficult conversations, tough conversations. … We always try to handle ourselves professionally and in the best interest of the Broncos.”

Wilson is assured of receiving $39 million next season even if he’s not welcomed back by the Broncos. Should he be unable to pass a physical next March, his 2025 pay of $37 million would be guaranteed, too.

“I wasn’t going to remove or push or take away my injury guarantee,” Wilson said. “This game is such a physical game. I’ve played 12 years. That matters to me.”

Stidham said Monday he’s “very confident” he’ll be the Broncos’ starting quarterback in 2024 in the second year of a two-year, $10 million deal he signed in March 2023.

Wilson, 35, said he is shooting to regain his job.

“I want to be able to play, I want to be able to help this team win,” he said. “I know every time I step on the field it’s a physical game. I never play timid. I never play scared.”

–Field Level Media