Since winning Super Bowl 50, the Denver Broncos have been widely known for their inability to make the playoffs, which is better than the current narrative surrounding this once-proud franchise.
In addition to not being a playoff team (Denver missed the playoffs for an eighth straight year this season), the franchise is now caught in a he-said/he-said situation involving the general manager, coach and starting quarterback Russell Wilson. On Tuesday, Denver general manager David Paton dismissed Wilson’s recent comments saying he was benched before Week 17 after being given an ultimatum: Adjust your contract or lose your job as starting QB.
“During the bye week, I contacted Russ’ agent in a good faith and creative attempt to adjust his contract,” Paton said via Pro Football Talk. “We couldn’t get a deal done. We continued with our season. It didn’t come up again. Fast forward to Week 17, Sean (Payton) makes a change at quarterback. It was a football decision made by Sean. in what he thought was the best interest of the team, which was completely independent of the conversations I had with the agent.
“Again, it was a football decision made by Sean. As far as negotiations go, I’m just going to keep the details private out of respect for everyone involved. Negotiations are tough. You have tough conversations, difficult conversations, and you can characterize “We really negotiate the way you want. We always try to behave professionally and in the best interest of the Broncos, and this was no different. “
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Obviously someone isn’t telling the truth. If Paton’s comments are accurate, it means either Wilson is lying or his representatives misunderstood something that was said during said conversation. If Wilson is the one telling the truth, that means Paton and/or Payton punished a player who was protecting his contract.
Either way, it’s a bad look for an organization that not long ago was one of the best-run organizations in professional sports.
