Denver Broncos head coaching profile: Sean Payton
Former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton could get back into coaching in 2023, and the Denver Broncos could have an interest in him. Payton feels like the grand prize in this 2023 head coaching cycle for any team who has an opening.
It’s not been revealed with 100% certainty whether or not Payton would want to get back into coaching in 2023 and if he’d have interest in the Denver Broncos, but with the news that Denver plans on swinging for the fences with their head coaching search, Sean Payton may fit those criteria for them.
So, what makes Payton so desirable?
Denver Broncos head coaching profile: Sean Payton
Payton played for a few years in the Arena Football League and played a handful of games in the NFL, but nothing major to speak of there.
He coached at several stops at the college level before making his NFL coaching debut in 1997 with the Philadelphia Eagles as the quarterbacks coach. He did that for two years before holding the same role in 1999 with the New York Giants.
From there, he spent three years as the offensive coordinator for Big Blue, and in 2003-2005, found a temporary home with the Dallas Cowboys as the assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach. Then, in 2006, the New Orleans Saints hired him to be their next head coach, which is where Payton made his biggest mark.
From 2006-2021, Sean Payton built a HOF resume as head coach of the Saints. Out of his 15 years as head coach, he made the playoffs nine times and had nine years with double-digit wins, and four years with at least 13 wins.
He had four losing records during his tenure in New Orleans, but nothing worst than 7-9/
The Saints were Super Bowl champions in 2009 as well, defeating Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. In the regular season, Payton went 152-89, which is a .631 winning percentage.
Over a 17-game season, with that winning percentage, he’d average 11 wins per year. Doing that over a 15-year period is insane. His 9-8 playoff record is also quite impressive. Overall, he’s 161-97. He’s a Hall of Fame coach and was able to conjure up some of the best and most efficient offenses in the NFL during this time, and he did it primarily with Drew Brees, who was a smaller quarterback, much like Russell Wilson.
Apparently, it’ll cost at least a first-round pick to acquire Sean Payton, and Denver does have one of those in 2023. They also have their own first-round picks in future drafts, so this myth that Denver doesn’t have draft capital is just that.
If there’s any chance that the Denver Broncos can hire Sean Payton, they should be all over that.