Denver Broncos owner Greg Penner and general manager George Paton say they believe in Russell Wilson and that his subpar play for much of the season was not the driving factor in the decision to fire Nathaniel Hackett this week.

"The decision to have Russell here is a long-term one," Penner said. "This season has not been up to his standards or expectations. We saw some glimpses of it in the last few weeks. He knows he can play better; we know he can play better; and we know he'll do the right work in the offseason to be ready for next year."

The Broncos traded five draft picks, including a 2023 first-round selection that now projects to be in the top three picks of next April's draft, as well as three players to the Seattle Seahawks this past March in exchange for Wilson.

"Russ even said he didn't play up to his standard. ... He'd be the first one to tell you he didn't play up to his standard, didn't play up to our standard, he needs to be better," Paton said. "I don't think we made a coaching move based on Russ. That wasn't what it was all about, that's not why we're getting a new coach to turn around Russ. It's about the entire organization. ... It's not whether Russ is fixable or not. We do believe he is; we do."