“Sean Payton Sets Clear Boundaries: No Place for Russell Wilson’s Personal Coach at Broncos Facilities”

Russell Wilson’s personal trainer Jake Heaps joined the Denver Broncos quarterback on his move from Seattle to Denver last season.

He attended training camp last offseason but does not have access to Broncos facilities under Sean Payton.

The Broncos officially introduced their new head coach on Monday, and he was asked about Heaps and his approach. He replied that he was “unfamiliar” with the practice but that it would not continue under his leadership.

“That’s alien to me,” Payton said. “It’s not going to happen here. I’m not familiar with it. But our staff will be here, our players will be here and that’s it.”

Wilson’s first season in Denver was a disaster. The nine-time Pro Bowler had the worst season of his career as a Broncos team with Super Bowl ambitions ablaze 5-12. Denver averaged the league’s worst 16.9 points per game with a tepid offense rated as midseason one of the worst in NFL history.

Rookie head coach Nathaniel Hackett did not survive the season. Wilson did, and his five-year contract with $165 million in guarantees all but ensures he will for seasons to come. But things will not be business-as-usual under Payton, who joins the Broncos after a 15-year stint in New Orleans that included nine playoff appearances and the Super Bowl win for a previously perpetually dying Saints.

Sean Payton was officially unveiled as the Broncos head coach on Monday. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

Who is Jake Heaps?

Heaps, a former collegiate quarterback at BYU, Kansas and Miami, joined the New York Jets in 2015 as an undrafted rookie. He signed with the Seahawks practice team for a short stint in 2016 and returned to the Seahawks for an offseason in 2017. He never threw an NFL pass, but he did develop a relationship with Wilson during his time in Seattle.

Heaps has not been on a football roster since a stint in 2017 on the CFL’s BC Lions practice team. He has since worked as a Seattle sports radio host and as a quarterback coach. He quit his job at Seattle Sports 710 on in 2022 to follow Wilson to Denver and work full-time as his quarterback coach.

Wilson, like Payton, joined Denver this offseason as a high-profile trade acquisition expected to lead the Broncos to success. In addition to Heaps, Wilson also brought his own personal trainer, strength and conditioning coach, and masseur to Denver. It’s an arrangement not unknown in NFL circles.

Lamar Jackson’s personal trainer Adam Dedeaux joined him at Ravens training camp last off-season. Coach Alex Guerrero famously worked closely with Tom Brady in New England before head coach Bill Belichick banned him from the Patriots facilities. Heaps said last offseason he was wary of pushing his limits in Denver.

“They’ve been amazing and it’s been really fun working with him and giving Russell this opportunity in Denver,” Heaps told Denver’s 9 News last summer. “It’s not my job to step on the toes of the employees.”

Under Payton’s regime, the boundaries are now clear. Heaps is not welcome at Broncos headquarters. However, that doesn’t mean he won’t work closely with the Denver quarterback.

Russell Wilson with Jake Heaps (L) at a Seahawks practice session in June 2017. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Payton is credited with helping Drew Brees develop into a quarterback of Hall of Fame caliber in New Orleans. His main task in Denver will be to find a way for Wilson to return to the form that saw him thrive in Seattle. He raised the issue on Monday.

“Obviously, it wasn’t the kind of season that he wanted to have,” Payton told reporters from Wilson, according to the Denver Post. “I feel like we’ve seen a little bit more of what we were expecting or used to in the past few weeks. I think the most important task for us as coaches when evaluating our players is: “What does he do really well?” And then we try to put him in those positions. At the very least, that’s the starting point for emphasizing their strengths and then minimizing their potential weaknesses.

“Here’s what I know. I know he is a worker. An extremely hard worker. This is important. And I think you take that, you understand the skills. … And then you go from there.”

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