Russell Wilson will Start for Broncos in Preseason Kickoff Game, Head Coach Sean Payton Says

[{"selector":"#anim-527b064b-77ac-40ff-88b0-e26a70aa51fb","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":600,"duration":800,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-2f0a554a-bc57-4a8a-85bb-733154f02c32","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-117.32027%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":600,"duration":800,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-c8c2059a-14b9-4bf3-8bc0-540669a9f8e4","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":600,"duration":800,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-0e5c5b5c-5d7b-4c3a-9b46-5b5acd3caed4","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-118.59757%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":600,"duration":800,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

NFL teams dislike preseason games because elite players can be hurt in meaningless play.

[{"selector":"#anim-de90c033-49d1-440e-948b-f42f68c42f74","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-b638a036-ca00-4db2-8d3b-5ee05df90976","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 147.33514%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

In recent years, teams have sat their starters until the last exhibition game or skipped the preseason.

[{"selector":"#anim-7815a9bf-e518-4e05-8535-fa9b8bb86b6b","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-08e57877-d89b-4c89-a2f7-d5c107608d39","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 148.96118%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Coaches that say they'll play their starters before the season are shocking.

[{"selector":"#anim-7d7a31f2-47a5-442a-9abf-fabf8fafc20a","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-6a9db11f-704f-4552-98b4-ad3271af1ad5","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 164.06614%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Even more surprising is that an elite quarterback will play in the first preseason game.Broncos fans, hold on.

[{"selector":"#anim-000c3340-231f-4f52-b066-1cb9dce96b31","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-99253b9d-b5c8-427e-b6c0-05853326a246","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 163.59532%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

New Denver head coach Sean Payton shocked the sports world on Saturday by announcing that Russell Wilson and other starters would play in the Broncos' preseason opener at the Cardinals on Friday.

[{"selector":"#anim-569fba6d-a48e-45b2-adaa-4f9dedee78cf","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-4ca2b0e4-d8e0-4be9-9fe0-841f75890d93","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 123.64555%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Payton said Mike Klis of 9News, “I haven’t shelled it out yet but they’re going to play. “I haven’t counted snaps. How many snaps? I took notes. No pitch count.”

[{"selector":"#anim-e03d5726-4012-4469-8ed7-3e49643788c0","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-3b34c598-54ad-43a1-a9c6-10c856d45878","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 132.36189%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

When pressed, Peyton surprised the reporters by including his star quarterback in the lineup.Wilson is a player, Payton said.

[{"selector":"#anim-ce585758-7cc1-4289-ae9e-ec0c1e78d577","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-4c4b2fac-c57e-4d47-9e2d-d12377a5f4dd","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 137.40015%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Playing important starters in the preseason is a risky move for a team trying to turn things around after missing the playoffs since 2015.

[{"selector":"#anim-5ab1d47e-28ef-461a-9678-739eeb2916ec","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-e1712715-3f19-4d1b-b63e-4ee7ca9e2740","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 138.70736%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Messi drives resale prices for Dallas vs. Inter Miami to absurd levels.

[{"selector":"#anim-32f6d2bf-2734-46ec-b202-940ef7848e19","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-1b8c8ce0-4609-47e5-af7d-7f2323797e0e","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":600,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-8d67da8d-43fa-4e7b-b7ed-6cf221e84e4e","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-115.92356%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":600,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-87bc466d-aecd-4812-8b04-3d13385a73ab","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":390,"duration":800,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-6b2f0b0d-1f47-4314-abbe-152df3fd20a9","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-120.54795%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":390,"duration":800,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] swipe up