It looked like the LA Chargers were going to have a lot of competition in trying to dethrone the Kansas City Chiefs after the Denver Broncos traded for Russell Wilson in 2021. However, the first season with Wilson didn't quite go as planned, as the Broncos finished dead-last in the AFC West and didn't have a draft pick to show for it.
So what did the Broncos do? They went out and hired the guy that very obviously wanted the Chargers job all along in future Hall of Fame coach Sean Payton. Payton is not going to fix all of the Broncos' problems but Denver fans are hoping that he can turn this franchise around.
We are yet to see Payton's impact on the Broncos on the field but we are already seeing his personality all over this team. Payton recently went viral for a savage shot at quarterback Ben DiNucci after he threw an interception during minicamp.
Sean Payton on Drew Sanders pick 6 off DiNucci. #9sports pic.twitter.com/aSwHaO3z5C
— Mike Klis (@mikeklis) May 13, 2023
While this was funny and made its rounds around social media, there was one big flaw in Payton's joke that has not been talked about. It wasn't his comedic timing, his creativity, or the way he said it. It was the fact that he told it to the completely wrong quarterback.
Sean Payton's Walmart joke should have been directed at Russell Wilson
DiNucci is low-hanging fruit as a depth quarterback who is fighting for a roster spot this season. A real zinger would have been if Payton would have said this to Wilson after the horrible season he had in Denver last season.
Not only would it have been funnier, but it probably would have been true as well. Sure, Wilson is a big name, but there is a good chance that he could be out of work in the next year or two.
Wilson was really bad for the Broncos last season and he very well could have hit the age cliff and is now free-falling off of it. Short, mobile quarterbacks don't age very well in the NFL and Wilson checks both of those boxes. The odds of him continuing to get worse are quite high.
Wilson being out of the league in the next year or two may seem crazy but it certainly is possible. Nobody expected that Matt Ryan would be out of the league within two years after the 2020 season. Once you hit that age cliff it is hard to recover.
Plus, after the 2024 season the Broncos could finally get out of Wilson's deal and not pay more money by doing so. If he continues his current trajectory, it certainly will be a conversation and would be an absolutely hilarious development for Chargers fans.