Head coach Sean Payton will get a fresh start after the Denver Broncos informed quarterback Russell Wilson that he will be released after the league year begins on March 13.

Moving on from Wilson ends a rocky chapter in an ongoing mess under center for the Broncos. However, Payton has received criticism for how the situation unfolded.

Fox Sports personality Craig Carton ripped Payton and blamed him for the Wilson fallout.

“It tells me that Sean Payton’s an egomaniac,” Carton said on the March 5 episode of “The Carton Show.” “The hubris of Sean Payton to make this decision because it’s his decision. Look, he’s got a Super Bowl. I don’t know how to be a head coach in the NFL, so he gets a lot of latitude and grace in regards to that.”

The pairing of Payton and Wilson was placed squarely under a microscope after the veteran coach was traded to Denver in January 2023. Carton believed Payton had it out for Wilson from the beginning.

“He decided when he showed up that the biggest cancer in that locker room, apparently, was Russell Wilson. He publicly embarrassed and humiliated him every chance he got on the sideline,” Carton said.

The most notable instance occurred during a Week 15 loss to the Detroit Lions, where Payton was caught screaming in Wilson’s face.

Carton added that “all the pressure” is now on Payton moving forward.

“Sean Payton’s an egomaniac.”

— @craigcartonlive on the Broncos’ decision to release Russell Wilson

Carton Urged Wilson to Sign With Broncos’ Rival to Get Back at Payton
Where will Wilson land now that his time is over in the Mile High City?

Carton listed possible destinations for the nine-time Pro Bowler and urged him to sign with the Las Vegas Raiders to get back at Payton and the Broncos.

“If I’m Russell Wilson and I got any fire left at all in my gut, I want to get back at Sean Payton,” Carton said on the March 5 episode of “The Carton Show.” “Not so much the Broncos, because they were good to me, they gave me a lot of money. But Sean Payton embarrassed me. He humiliated me publicly. If I can face him twice a year and beat him, [Las Vegas] might be where I wanna go.”

“If I’m Russell Wilson, I want to get back at Sean Payton. Sean Payton embarrassed me. If I can face him twice a year and beat him, the Raiders might be where I wanna go.”

— @craigcartonlive

Carton was not the first to connect Wilson to the Raiders. Jeremy Fowler of ESPN pegged Wilson as “a pretty good fit” for Las Vegas.

“The Raiders have not been linked to the [Kirk] Cousins and [Baker] Mayfield free agencies,” Fowler wrote in his March 4 article. “It is perhaps notable that Wilson listed Las Vegas as one of his four preferred destinations amid talk of a trade from Seattle in 2021. He would relish the chance to play with Davante Adams, too.”

What Direction Will the Broncos go at QB?
The Broncos have been in quarterback purgatory since Peyton Manning retired in March 2016. Twelve quarterbacks have started for Denver following its 2016 Super Bowl win.

Wilson was the latest misstep for the organization. So what will Payton and the front office do now?

Denver can go in any direction, either through the NFL draft or free agency. During a press conference at the NFL Scouting Combine, Payton said “it’s vital” to find a solution under center.

“I saw this humorous meme the other day where there’s a Broncos fan with a shirt on with like eight quarterback’s names crossed through them and he’s drinking the quarterback ‘Kool-Aid,’” Payton told reporters on February 27. “Our job is to make sure this next one doesn’t have a line through it.”

Payton spent 15 years with Drew Brees at quarterback with the New Orleans Saints. Broncos fans have to hope that Payton can locate the next Brees for Denver.