Opposing coaches analyze what went wrong with Broncos' Russell Wilson

The final Friday of February wasn't too kind to Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson. 

On the same day a bombshell report claimed Wilson wanted Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider fired last winter before the Seattle-Denver trade, a piece shared by ESPN's Jeff Legwold detailed some of the signal-caller's struggles throughout the 2022 season. 

Legwold spoke with "multiple opposing defensive coaches and quarterbacks coaches," one of whom seemed baffled that Wilson "just put the ball where he shouldn't too often" throughout his first campaign with Denver. 

According to ESPN stats, Wilson finished the season 27th out of 31 qualified quarterbacks with a 36.7 adjusted QBR and 31st out of 34 players with a 60.5% completion percentage. In 15 games, he threw 16 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions. 

"We felt like in certain looks, especially big downs and distance, he would usually try to take more [time] than he should, so we played it that way," an AFC coach told Legwold about Wilson. "We, in those situations, assumed he would hold [the ball] and we would break down their protections at the same time."

An opposing AFC quarterbacks coach suggested 34-year-old Wilson hasn't done enough to account for the fact that he is now closer to 35 than to 30. 

"He held the ball, there were times, in your 10th, 11th year whatever, you should get them out of it when you're over the ball, get to something else," that coach said. "You have to adapt, what you did at [age] 25 may not be the answer." 

Wilson reportedly contacted Sean Payton about becoming Broncos head coach this offseason, in part, because the nine-time Pro Bowl selection allegedly understood that "he needs fixing" coming off both professional and personal hardships. While speaking with reporters earlier this month after he accepted the Denver gig, Payton sounded confident he has an offensive scheme in mind that will better benefit his QB1: