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The Denver Broncos completed a trade with the New Orleans Saints to acquire kicker Will Lutz, reuniting him with familiar face Sean Payton after a disappointing 2022 season. Lutz spoke about the impact Payton had in his career.
“Look, coach, he tries to get the best out of everyone,” Will Lutz said, according to Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. “I truly feel like my best years were with him because I was kind of scared to let him down. I think that's how a leader is.”
Will Lutz lost out on the Saints' kicking competition to rookie Blake Grupe, and that is when Sean Payton and the Broncos came in to acquire him.
“Look, for Sean to come over and get me like he did, it's an honor,” Lutz said, according to Smith. “It's great to feel appreciated, great to be wanted.”
Lutz had a down season in 2022 for the Saints, making 23 of 31 field goal attempts for a 74.2% conversion rate, according to Pro Football Reference. Lutz took full accountability for his performance.
“But look, 2022, no excuses. I didn't have a good year,” Lutz said, according to Smith. “It's all on me. Mentally I didn't feel like I was in the right space. Kind of felt like a rookie again after missing a year. I didn't play in front of fans in 2020. Didn't play in 2021. So 2022 week 1 was the first time in front of fans in [three] years. So it was very eye opening. I think I didn't handle it the right way.”
Lutz will be kicking outdoors in the Denver altitude for home games with the Broncos. It will be interesting to see if he can bounce back in 2023.
