“A Great Football Mind”: Pat McAfee Marvels at Sean Payton Amidst Denver Broncos’ QB Fiasco

The Denver Broncos are benching Russell Wilson for the remaining season. According to the reports, the franchise will try to cut ties with him as soon as the season ends. This surprising decision, made by coach Sean Payton has sent shockwaves through Wilson’s loyal fanbase, but Pat McAfee couldn’t agree more.

Russell Wilson, who has given two seasons to the Broncos, wasn’t performing as well as he was expected to, with only 11 wins to his name. As the Broncos were left with minimal playoff contention chances, Payton decided not to risk it further. He replaced Wilson with his former backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham starting as a center. Pat McAfee and his team recently discussed the mindset of Payton and his thoughts on officially sidelining Wilson.

Sean Payton is doing all this for his team or himself?

Pat McAfee and his co-hosts, in the latest episode of ‘The Pat McAfee Show,’ delved into a rather logical discussion about the challenging situations faced by Russell Wilson, and Sean Payton’s new plan. As Wilson is being benched for the rest of the games, and is reportedly about to be released in March 2024, Payton’s “desperately trying to win” remarks have generated a spark in the NFL world.

Acknowledging the messy situation in Denver, McAfee speculated on Payton’s freedom to make decisions for the team’s future. He also highlighted that when Payton was signing with Denver, he already said that he would be building his team. Stressing on this, McAfee & his team speculated that this move was probably in his plan since the start of this season. McAfee highlighted that when we look at his success in the league, his win-loss record is on par with other great coaches.

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The punter wondered about the future of the two, praising Payton, yet acknowledging Wilson’s prowess, “He [Payton] is out of the game, he crushes it on TV, then he comes back in the game. He kind of handed all this everything so now if they get worse after this entire thing that’s his entire Legacy. Sean Peyton is a great football mind. Russell Wilson is a great football player. Excited to see where they end up next.”

Although McAfee praised the coach’s football mind, he also showed his soft corner with Wilson, as he and his company highlighted that though Payton is building his team, saying “you need to remove this otherwise we’re going to do this,” to a well-acclaimed QB “that’s bad business….it’s a rough business and this is dirty.” Well, here’s a realistic look.

Russell Wilson’s situation explained!

Coach Sean Payton is openly unhappy with the team’s offense, expressing frustration throughout the second half of the season, including a blowup at Russell Wilson during a loss at Detroit. Despite Wilson ranking sixth in NFL touchdown passes, 26, the coach criticized the offense “as average to below average.” Wilson’s 2022 contract is a hefty five-year $242,6 million deal. Financially, he is guaranteed $39 million in 2024, regardless of his team’s status. An extra $37 million becomes guaranteed if he can’t pass the physical in early March, a possibility if he gets injured in the last two games.

The Broncos want to avoid paying this sum. Releasing him post-June 1 would mean an $85 million dead money hit over two seasons, with $35.4 million in 2024 and $49.6 million in 2025. They’d also owe Wilson $39 million in cash for 2024. Releasing him before June 1 brings its own financial challenges, leaving the Broncos with a $68 million dead money burden for the next year unless the acquiring team pays his $22 million option bonus.

The acquiring team will owe Wilson $54 million over the next two years without the bonus and $76 million with it. Wilson’s deal might have negative trade value, but the quarterback market is unpredictable.

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