Sean Payton Seen as Russell Wilson's Last Hope by Twitter After Hire as Broncos HC

Russell Wilson's chances to find success in Denver may not be unlimited.

The Denver Broncos made their latest splash move Tuesday, sending a 2023 first-round pick and a 2024 second-round selection to the New Orleans Saints to hire coach Sean Payton, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported.

The deal marks the second time in less than a year that the Broncos have mortgaged their future for a splash trade. Last March, the team sent two first-round picks, two second-rounders, quarterback Drew Lock, defensive lineman Shelby Harris and tight end Noah Fant to Seattle for Wilson.

To this point, Wilson's tenure in Denver has been an unmitigated failure. He posted the worst season of his career in 2022, throwing for 3,524 yards and 16 touchdowns against 11 interceptions. Among qualifying quarterbacks, Wilson ranked 27th in QBR and 28th in Football Outsiders' DYAR metric.

The offensive struggles led to the firing of coach Nathaniel Hackett after just 15 games and an all-in push to turn things around with Payton, whose hire drew a polarizing response on social media.

Payton went 152-89 over 15 seasons in New Orleans, winning Super Bowl XLIV and making nine playoff appearances. The Saints never had fewer than nine wins in Payton's tenure and ranked consistently among the NFL's most dynamic offenses.

Much of that could be attributed to the historic accuracy of Drew Brees as a passer. Wilson completed a career-low 60.5 percent of his passes this season; Brees completed 68.8 percent of his throws during his time in New Orleans.

The propensity for Wilson to mistime underneath passes could be an issue for Payton if he can't find a way to fix the nine-time Pro Bowler's issues that have cropped up in recent seasons.

That said, the Broncos are backing up a Brink's truck of cash and offloading a ton of draft picks in hopes of making it happen.