Some within Broncos Country have floated the idea of Sean Payton as the next head coach, but that option is not realistic. With Nathaniel Hackett immediately showing he is not cut out to be an NFL head coach, some in Broncos Country have suggested Sean Payton.
Payton was the head coach of the New Orleans Saints from 2006-2021. During his time as the Saints head coach, he had a regular and postseason record of 161-97, a winning percentage of .624, which is insanely good.
He had 10 winning seasons during his career, and him and Drew Brees enjoyed some of the most dominant stretches of offensive football this league has ever seen. Pretty much everyone knows how good of a coach he is.
He shockingly stepped down after the 2021 season and has been appearing in the media here and there. However, for a couple of reasons, Sean Payton is not a realistic option. He is still under contract with New Orleans, so if he wanted to come back and coach, the Saints would essentially have to trade him.
Unfortunately for the Broncos, they do not have the kind of draft capital that it would take to land Payton, and if the team were to trade some players to recoup some capital, Payton could then lose interest if core players had to be dealt.
Payton recently said:
"“If the right situation presented itself, I would definitely be interested. And there’s no utopia, if you will, when it comes to teams, but if I felt like it was the right situation, I would have an interest in that. That all being said, that could come in a year, that could come in two years.”"
Furthermore, an article in Bleacher Report noted that Payton would prefer coaching in Los Angeles with the Chargers, who are struggling with the head coach themselves. If that is indeed true, as Sean Payton is from California, it would make a ton of sense and essentially shut the door on any chances the Broncos would have on landing Payton.
If he does want to return to coaching, which does seem likely, George Paton would definitely inquire about his services, there is no doubt about that, and I do think he’d make a huge run at Payton. For all of their faults, Denver does have some attractive pieces, especially on defense, that might catch Payton’s eye.
They also do have some talent on offense that he could potentially like to work with. It’s a fun scenario to think about, but it isn’t going to happen.