Sean Payton and Russell Wilson worked for just one season with the Denver Broncos, but the fallout changed the trajectory of both Wilson’s career and the Broncos as an organization. It wasn’t that Wilson was past his prime or coming off an injury-riddled season that ended his Broncos tenure. In fact, the bigger issue was the personality clash between Wilson and Payton throughout the 2023 season. Broncos legend Justin Simmons was recently asked about Wilson’s breakup with Denver, and he offered a brief assessment of what went wrong.

“I think, and I know, like their personalities just clashed from like day one. You know that the way that Sean operates and the way that Russ has operated when he was with Seattle, it just clashed,” Simmons said on the 4th and South podcast with Jarvis Landry & Leonard Fournette.

When Wilson arrived in Denver, he was coming after having won a Super Bowl as a QB of the Seattle Seahawks, and the same was the case with Sean Payton, who had helped the New Orleans Saints win the elusive trophy in 2010. The success they had previously seemed to cause a bit of a problem when they were on the same Broncos team.

“And I also know for sure, Russ has always been really good at making plays out of nothing, and like trusting what he sees and being able to like make checks…and Sean is very like controlling, like he wants you to run what he calls,” Simmons continued. “Don’t switch it up. So, some of that happened, too. And when you start butting heads with two alphas, that’s the result that’s going to happen.”

Payton’s approach as a play-caller was fundamentally different from Wilson’s style as a Super Bowl-winning quarterback. Payton’s offensive system is catered to quick first reads, defined progressions, built-in answers against pressure, and getting the ball out on time.

A disciple of Bill Walsh’s West Coast offense, Payton has built a system on quick, high-percentage, and horizontal passing concepts. But his offense schemes weren’t without some major tweaks. During his tenure with the New Orleans Saints, with Drew Brees running the offense, Payton made several tweaks to the scheme, emphasizing a more aggressive, vertical passing attack that utilized every inch of the field.

Under the offense, Brees recorded five 5,000-yard passing seasons. The Saints, meanwhile, tallied a top-10 offense in 14 straight seasons. But when Payton arrived in Denver, that style stood in stark contrast to the way Wilson operated throughout his NFL career.

Under Pete Carroll’s leadership with the Seattle Seahawks, Wilson thrived by holding the ball longer, extending plays outside the pocket, creating explosive opportunities after the initial design broke down, and throwing on the move. Seattle would rather benefit from plays that last longer than from asking Wilson to throw the ball in less than 3 seconds. And that approach paid off, considering Wilson is a mobile quarterback.

Then in 2022, Wilson arrived in Denver as a 12-year veteran and Super Bowl champion. Naturally, he tried to follow the same blueprint that had worked so well in Seattle. This time, however, the results were different. Not only was 2022 a disappointing season for Wilson, but it also became the worst year of his NFL career.

Wilson consistently held onto the ball too long, and by the end of the 2022 season, he had been sacked 55 times. That prompted the Broncos to hire Sean Payton as head coach entering the 2023 season. But once Payton arrived, the clash became unavoidable. Payton was a veteran play-caller committed to his system, while Wilson was a veteran quarterback committed to his style. But the skepticism followed immediately when a longtime NFL OC noted this relationship as a mismatch.

“With any veteran quarterback, you always have the distinction between the things that have always worked for them, made them what they are, and the things, as they get older and defenses keep grinding at their weak spots, they have to fix. Last year, he just held on [to the ball] too long, too often. Things change, guys have to, too,” the offensive coordinator said in 2023.

Payton wanted Wilson to adjust because he believed his system could put the quarterback in better situations. Shortly after arriving in Denver, the head coach made that philosophy clear.

“How do we highlight any player’s strengths? That’s at the center of everything.”

Just as he had done with Drew Brees, Payton wanted Wilson to make quicker decisions within structure. And according to an ESPN report, Payton told Wilson he needed to focus less on the extensive personal brand operation that had developed around him (“Russell Inc.”) and devote more attention to football. And during the season, the tension only escalated.

By Week 15 of the 2023 season, the Broncos had climbed back into playoff contention after opening the year 1-5. But against the Detroit Lions, Denver fell behind 21-0 by halftime before eventually losing 42-17. During the game, Payton and Wilson were seen in a heated sideline exchange. Not long afterward, Payton benched Wilson for the final two games of the season. By then, it was clear the quarterback and head coach were no longer aligned. Justin Simmons saw it firsthand.

“I don’t know all the details of it, I wasn’t really like asking around or anything like that, but just being in the locker room with Russ and stuff like that, I know, like, they were butting heads a lot, and you know that’s a tough situation to be in for him,” Simmons added.

Eventually, Wilson and Denver went their separate ways ahead of the 2024 season. While the quarterback later signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Broncos, meanwhile, had to tackle the financial implications after moving on from the signal-caller.

When Russell Wilson’s departure affected Justin Simmons

The aftermath of Russell Wilson’s departure from Denver proved even more damaging. Denver acquired Wilson after they sent five draft picks and three players to Seattle before signing him to a five-year, $245 million contract. But when Denver released Wilson, they took a massive $85 million dead cap hit, splitting between $53 million in 2024 and the remaining $32 million in 2025.

That forced Sean Payton to make roster moves, while eventually parting ways with one of the highest-paid players on the roster. Among Courtland Sutton, Garrett Bolles, and Justin Simmons, the latter became the odd man out.

“We had a dead cap with Russ. I think it was like 60 or 80, something up there, million,” Simmons said. “We was in dead cap. So, myself, Courtland Sutton, and Garett Bolles, the left tackle, we’re the three highest paid guys. And so, Sean is an offensive-minded guy. Courtland is your number one receiver. Unless you felt like you was going to replace that in the draft or in free agency. It’s unlikely. You’re not getting rid of your left tackle. He just came off his best season. So the next logical move was to let me go.”

The move came as a surprise because Simmons had just finished the 2023 season with 70 combined tackles and three interceptions. He later signed a one-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons, recorded 62 combined tackles and two interceptions, and eventually retired earlier this offseason. So, it wouldn’t be unfair to say that Russell Wilson’s time in Denver affected not only the franchise during his tenure but also continued to shape major decisions long after his departure.