Can Broncos’ Sean Payton and Russell Wilson Look to Emulate Legendary Bill Belichick and Tom Brady?

You might be wondering why are we even comparing the GOAT of football with an athlete whose career seemingly fumbled lately.  While we agree Russell Wilson has not been his best lately, does one of the most criticized QBs really have no chance of holding a candle to 7x SB MVP Tom Brady? Especially now with Sean Payton on the Broncos scene. As the veritable football coach and World War II veteran Tom Landry said, “The job of a coach is to make men do what they don’t want to do, in order to achieve what they’ve always wanted to be.”

Undoubtedly, the Belichick-Brady duo is the greatest head coach-quarterback duo in recent history. But that is about to change with new claimants to the title. Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes, Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay, and yes, Sean Payton and Russell Wilson. 

What sets the Belichick-Brady duo apart?

Bill’s relationship with his former New England Patriots QB was unlike his relationship with other disposable players. In a way, the two have made each other the towering personalities of the NFL that they are. Brady, the unexpected superstar, was the 199th overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft. Belichick was a Cleveland ex-coach looking for work after a lackluster 36-44 record with the Browns. Before Brady, Belichick had a 41-56 record. Before Drew Bledsoe went down with an injury, Brady was manning the rear of the Patriots’ depth chart. 

After that fateful injury, Belichick picked Brady out of NFL oblivion and the two began their fairytale ascension to the top of the pro football heap. It was a risky decision. Drew Bledsoe was talented and a veteran. Owner Robert Kraft had warned his coach, “I expect you to be accountable for this decision.” And boy, did the bet pay off. Big time.

The Payton-Wilson duo is a new one, forged only last year. The Broncos traded all their chips to acquire Wilson from the Seahawks for a whopping $245 million. And they lost that bet. They lost big. So much so that they had to open their checkbook and sacrifice draft capital to hire Sean Payton to clean up the mess of a 5-12 season. And so far, things are not looking good for the duo as they stand 1-3 after Week 4. But, is change in the air?

Wilson to the Rus-cue?

Belichick had a winning percentage of .418. After Brady happened, it almost doubled to .765. The New England Patriots have the most number of Super Bowl wins at 6, along with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Belichick and Brady won all 6 Super Bowls for the Patriots. Once a week, for the 15 seasons, the duo would meet over coffee to touch base with each other and work on the next step forward. Payton and Wilson just don’t have that chemistry yet!

2022 was the worst season in Wilson’s career. His team won the fewest games in any season that he had played. The stats board was even more depressing. The QB had the fewest TD passes of his career at 16 and most sacks at 55. Nathaniel Hackett was sacked and Payton called in, in a bid to reverse things. But many analysts see the potential for a mismatch. Payton is a tough, battle-hardened play-caller and Wilson is a 12-year veteran QB who is set in his ways.

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But the Payton Effect seems to be working as this year, the QB made NFL history by becoming the first QB to ever rush for 5,000 yards and pass for 40,000 yards. In this season, Wilson has more pass TDs than other heavyweights such as Mahomes and Burrow, more pass yards than Dak Prescott and Jalen Hurts, and fewer interceptions than Tua Tagovailoa and Josh Allen. Even though things seem to be looking up for the duo, it will be difficult for them to top the Belichick-Brady duo. Perhaps, if the match had happened earlier, during the start of Wilson’s career, they may have had a chance. But for now, it seems the only real claimant might be the Reid and Mahomes duo. Sorry, Ciara and Broncos fans.

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