ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Broncos' 2022 captains are set.
Quarterback Russell Wilson, wide receiver Courtland Sutton, outside linebacker Bradley Chubb, safety Justin Simmons and kicker Brandon McManus were voted as captains by their teammates.
"I think all those guys are really good players," Head Coach Nathaniel Hackett said. "Not only are they really good players, they're really good leaders and they're great people. … They're guys that have been here and done some really good things, and we're looking for great things from them."
Simmons, Sutton and McManus were also season-long captains for the Broncos in 2021, and four of the five players have spent at least four seasons in Denver.
"It's an honor and privilege … for it to come from your peers, your teammates, guys that you grind with every day," Sutton said. "For them to see the things that we do on the field, off the field, trying to carry the team [in] the right direction, it's an honor. The rest of the guys that were voted captains, it's just an honor to be able to be in that realm with those guys and to lead the team into the direction we want to go for the season."
Added Chubb: "It's dope, man. It just puts the icing on the cake. It puts kind of a title on all the hard work and all the type of leadership I've been trying to instill. It's a great accomplishment to be looked at like that by your peers. I've got to wear it with pride."
Among those leaders is the Broncos' new quarterback, and Wilson earned the nod in his first season with the team.
"I think you always want the quarterback to be one of those guys that you're looking to, because they're the ones that really roll with the whole offense and how the team plays," Hackett said. "I'm very glad he was voted a captain, but in the end it's about who the players believe in, and right now they've got those guys. I know they believe in a lot of people. It's not just Russell or anybody else."
Hackett said the Broncos' five captains were far from the only players who received consideration.
"I think the best testament was how many guys [who] got votes," Head Coach Nathaniel Hackett said. "It wasn't just those five. It was numerous, numerous guys. On the offensive line we had a bunch of guys. I think it's just great to see there's so many people that believe in their teammates. … I think that's what's great to see."
The Broncos have now named season-long captains in consecutive years after utilizing game captains in 2019 and 2020.
"Each year, it's an honor," McManus said. "It's a new staff, it's a new group of players — a lot of new faces, a lot of new names for me. It's a humbling experience."
