NFL Twitter roasted the Broncos and Sean Payton for being Zach Wilson believers

The Denver Broncos are turning over a new leaf at the quarterback position after the relationship between Sean Payton and Russell Wilson deteriorated. Jarrett Stidham is currently in line to start Week 1, but Denver is expected to land another QB in this week’s NFL Draft. And, now, we have a wild card in the mix.

Zach Wilson was traded to the Broncos on Monday afternoon. The New York Jets received Denver’s sixth-round pick (No. 203) while packaging their seventh-round pick (No. 256) with Wilson to complete the swap. New York will pay some of Wilson’s remaining salary, but not all of it.

For the Jets faithful, that is an unambiguous victory. Wilson has been the bane of New York’s existence since he arrived as the No. 2 pick in 2021. Despite his immense physical gifts, Wilson could never manifest the decision-making chops necessary to compete at a high level in the NFL. The Broncos are clearly happy to gamble on the 24-year-old, but he’s probably going to start next season as the third-string QB in Denver.

Fans from both fanbases and across the NFL landscape took to Twitter to comment on Denver’s controversial move. Wilson has become a hot-button topic in debate circles and the Broncos are an especially funny landing spot. After all of Sean Payton’s thinly-veiled shots at Russell Wilson, he is going to coach Zach Wilson, an all-time purveyor of bad decisions on the football field.

NFL fans react to Jets-Broncos Zach Wilson trade

So, in short, the Broncos’ decision is viewed… skeptically by the general public. I’d post a few positive, upbeat tweets here to counterbalance the negativity, but there aren’t any. At least not in the popular tweets tab.

Wilson has a ton of natural talent, but it takes a sharp football mind to operate the QB position in the NFL. There are a few morsels of optimism out there. Wilson is still the same age as Michael Penix and Bo Nix, so there’s time for him to grow beyond his current limitations. Mobile QBs are all the rage, and yes, Wilson can stretch plays with his legs. He even has the arm strength to sling bullets down the field. It’s a matter of accuracy and processing speed.

The Broncos aren’t sacrificing much — a sixth-round pick swap and half of Wilson’s salary. Despite all his issues, Wilson is still better than any sixth-round QB the Broncos could have invested in. Even if he’s not the Broncos’ starter, Wilson still has time to develop into a suitable backup. Worst case scenario, he’s off the team next season and the Broncos don’t feel his absence.

No matter what, we can expect some absolute gold from Sean Payton. The QB whisperer is having his resolve tested.