Report: Russell Wilson Agreed to Stop Using Personal Office, Join Broncos Locker Room

Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson was issued his own personal office upon joining the team last year, but the veteran signal-caller reportedly agreed to give it up late in the season.

According to Kalyn Kahler, Mike Sando and Jayson Jenks of The Athletic, Broncos coaches had a talk with Wilson following the firing of head coach Nathaniel Hacket that led to Wilson agreeing to give up his office and to no longer have his personal support staff in the building for the final two weeks of the season.

While it could have been a coincidence, the 5-12 Broncos played significantly better over the season's final two weeks, falling 27-24 on the road to the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in Week 17 and beating the Los Angeles Chargers 31-28 in Week 18.

Per The Athletic, Wilson was granted the "rare perk" of having his own office when he arrived after a trade from the Seattle Seahawks, and several Broncos veterans were fine with it because Wilson was at the team facility for long hours.

Wilson reportedly said he had an "open-door policy" and welcomed in any players at any time to discuss plays or football in general. Former Broncos running back Melvin Gordon added that anything that went on in the office was "just strictly football."

Despite Wilson's willingness to talk football with his teammates at any time, an anonymous coach thought the dichotomy was an issue, saying: "So, are you a coach or are you a player? Your open door should be you sitting at your locker."

It was also noted by a coach that Wilson's office was on the second floor, with coaches and executives, whereas the players were on the first floor and rarely ventured to the second floor.

The elimination of the office did indeed result in Wilson mingling with his teammates more often late last season, as Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy said: "I didn't feel any type of change other than he had been in the locker room a lot. He was in there a lot more now that he wasn't in the office."

While the Broncos played better over the final two weeks of the season, the year was a massive disappointment overall for Wilson and the team.

After having been named a Pro Bowler in nine of his 10 seasons with the Seahawks and having posted a winning record in nine of 10 seasons as well, Wilson struggled through the worst year of his career in 2022.

He went 4-11 as a starter and completed a career-worst 60.5 percent of his passes for 3,524 yards, a career-low 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

The struggles of Wilson and the offense also led to the firing of head coach Nathaniel Hackett just 15 games into his tenure with the organization.

In his place, the Broncos hired longtime New Orleans Saints head coach and Super Bowl champion Sean Payton, who has already made it clear that he won't allow some of the things that happened last season.

When asked earlier this month if Wilson's personal staff, such as private quarterback coach Jake Heaps, would be allowed at the Broncos facility, Payton told reporters: "I'm not too familiar with that. That's foreign to me—that's not going to take place. I'm unfamiliar with it. Our staff will be here, our players will be here and that will be it."

It isn't yet known how well Wilson and Payton will mesh together, but Payton's track record of success speaks for itself, as he won a Super Bowl and reached the playoffs nine times while coaching the Saints.

Payton also has far more experience as a head coach than Hackett did, perhaps empowering him to convince Wilson to conform to the rest of the team more than Hackett was able to.