PITTSBURGH -- The sour relationship between Broncos head coach Sean Payton and former starting quarterback Russell Wilson appears to have persisted even after Wilson was released and became a Pittsburgh Steeler.
CBS Sports NFL Insider Aditi Kinkhabwala claimed that Wilson struggled to pick up Payton's offense and that the calls had to be reduced to two-word phrases. But back in Denver, a set of radio hosts pulled no punches and defended the Steelers' newest starting quarterback from claims that the offense had to be dumbed down for him in Denver.
"The idea that Russell Wilson can't get verbose play calls is frankly stupid," Ryan Edwards, Benjamin Albright and Grant Smith said on Broncos Country Tonight. "Russell Wilson had his best season under Brian Schottenheimer, who has famously long, verbose play calls."
"Are we at the point where we're slandering people just to slander people?" they added.
Wilson's two-year tenure with the Broncos began with plenty of hope but crashed and burned quickly as he struggled to regain the elite form he achieved with the Seahawks. Wilson was eventually pushed out by Payton, who preferred to pay a lucrative contract buyout to get rid of Wilson than keep him around for another season.
The Steelers benefitted from that decision, adding Wilson on a one-year, $1.2 million contract to be their starter in 2024. They'll try to ride Wilson's big arm and experience, alongside what is expected to be a domininant rushing offense, back to the playoffs and beyond.
