Russell Wilson still has plenty left in the tank, according to Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton. Wilson's first year with the Broncos was a disaster, ending with a 5-12 record and Nathaniel Hackett getting fired 15 games into his tenure as Denver's head coach. Sean Payton told USA TODAY Sports that there's plenty of blame to go around for the quarterback's 2022 season, and he intends to right the ship.

Payton did not hold back in assigning blame to Hackett. After consistently performing like one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks, Wilson posted a career-lows with an 84.4 passer rating, a 60.5% completion rate and just 16 passing touchdowns.

“Oh, man,” Payton said. “There’s so much dirt around that. There’s 20 dirty hands, for what was allowed, tolerated in the fricking training rooms, the meeting rooms. The offense. I don’t know Hackett. A lot of people had dirt on their hands. It wasn’t just Russell. He didn’t just flip. He still has it. This B.S. that he hit a wall? Shoot, they couldn’t get a play in. They were 29th in the league in pre-snap penalties on both sides of the ball.”

Payton was heavily critical of the culture that was built within the Broncos during the 2022 season. Wilson’s personal quarterback coach, Jake Heaps, had access to the team facility under Hackett. That's changed with Payton at the helm.

“That wasn’t his fault,” Payton said of Wilson. “That was the parents who allowed it. That’s not an incrimination on him, but an incrimination on the head coach, the GM, the president and everybody else who watched it all happen.

“Now, a quarterback having an office and a place to watch film is normal. But all those things get magnified when you’re losing. And that other stuff, I’ve never heard of it. We’re not doing that.”

“Everything I heard about last season, we’re doing the opposite,” Payton said.

Payton led the New Orleans Saints to nine playoff appearances and a Super Bowl title from 2006-2021. If he can unlock the Seahawks' version of Wilson, the Broncos could return to the playoffs for the first time since 2015.