The Broncos fired head coach Nathaniel Hackett on Monday and a big reason why he lasted just 15 games in Denver was the play of quarterback Russell Wilson.
Wilson has had an awful season after the Broncos acquired him in a trade with the Seahawks this offseason and he got a new contract as part of the move that made it much easier to part ways with Hackett than start over at quarterback. General Manager George Paton said at a Tuesday press conference that the Hackett move was about “the entire organization” but acknowledged that Wilson has to be better than he’s been so far this year.
Paton also said that he’s seen “flashes” from Wilson this season and that the team has no doubt that he can take a turn in the right direction in his second season with the team.
“It’s not whether Russ is fixable or not. We do believe he is. We do,” Paton said.
Paton said that the next coaching hire won’t be based solely on getting Wilson back to where he needs to be offensively, but that they will want the next coach to have a “great relationship” with a player who has fallen way short of expectations in his Denver debut.