Broncos CEO Greg Penner hadn’t bought the team yet when General Manager George Paton hired coach Nathaniel Hackett and traded for quarterback Russell Wilson. But Penner did support Paton giving Wilson a five-year, $245 million contract extension, and penner says he has no regrets.
Penner acknowledged that Wilson hasn’t been good enough so far this season, but Penner indicated that it’s Wilson himself who sets the highest standards, and that Penner expects Wilson to meet those standards.
“Russell’s won a lot of games in the NFL,’’ Penner said, via Mike Klis of 9 News in Denver. “He’s been a 9-time Pro Bowler, he’s won a Super Bowl. Russell knows how to win. The specifics on the contract area, that’s a place where I do rely on George and his expertise. I think he is going to be a great quarterback for us. He hasn’t performed at his expectations. But he’s a fierce competitor. And I think he’ll be a great quarterback for us.”
Penner acknowledged that the Broncos’ 2-5 start has been a major disappointment.
“You wake up on Monday morning, and you wonder if that really happened yesterday,” he said. “You kind of go through the first day or two of the week in a bit of a fog. This is ownership. And finally when you get to Wednesday or Thursday, you start looking forward to the next game.”
Penner isn’t promising that Hackett will be the coach for the next game. But he expects Wilson to be the quarterback for the next game, the next year and many years to come.
