Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty
The verdict is in:Russell Wilsonis “fixable” — at least according to Denver Broncos general manager George Paton.
Since joining the Broncos in March, Wilson, 34, not only failed to end the team’s six-year playoff dry spell (Denver is currently 4-11), but also played the worst season of his decade-long NFL career. Paton addressed Wilson’s future with the Broncos in a press conference on Tuesday.
“We saw flashes of Russ this year,” he said, citing Wilson’s strong first halves against the Los Angeles Chargers and the Las Vegas Raiders.
“He’ll be the first one to tell you he didn’t play up to his standard, didn’t play up to our standard,” Paton said of the nine-time Pro Bowler after Sunday’s embarrassing 14-51 loss to the L.A. Rams. “He needs to be better.”
Broncos co-owner and CEO Greg Penner addressed the abrupt firing during the media conference, saying that the team “didn’t go into this week thinking this was a time we were going to make a change,” but were driven to following Sunday’s loss,NFL Newsreports.
“Some of the things that were going on off the field, we just felt like it was time to make a decision,” Penner said, according to the outlet. “Once we had made that decision, it was in all fairness to the organization and in Nathaniel. We felt we needed to move forward and make a change.”
According to Paton, Hackett’s firing wasn’t a “coaching move” based solely on the struggling QB.
“That wasn’t what it’s all about,” he told reporters. “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.”
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Paton continued, “It’s not whether Russ is fixable or not,” before adding, “We do believe he is. We do.”
In September, Wilson agreed to terms on a five-year extension with the Denver through the 2028 season, amega-deal worth $245 million, including $165 million guaranteed.
source: people.com
