Forecasting a potential Broncos trade to acquire Sean Payton

The Denver Broncos are ready to wrap up their first round of interviews as they search for a new head coach and the most notable name on that list is Sean Payton.

Though Sean Payton has interviewed with a few teams for their open vacancy, he is still under contract with the New Orleans Saints and the Saints are going to be in line for some compensation in order for him to sign with a new team.

What that compensation ends up being depends on who you listen to. But earlier reports stated that the Broncos and Saints were in agreement on what that would be should the Broncos agree on terms with Payton to be the team’s next head coach.

Payton is the leader in the clubhouse in terms of who Broncos Country is rooting for to get the position.

Trading for a head coach in the NFL is rare, but it has happened. The last time it did, the Oakland Raiders sent Jon Gruden to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Here is a look at what Tampa Bay had to give up to get him.

In addition to that, the Bucs paid the Raiders $8 million in cash. In other words, the Raiders got a massive haul. However, the Bucs would have considered it a good deal as they won the Super Bowl that season, coincidentally by beating the Raiders.

That trade will likely be discussed during this potential deal as it is the closest thing to precedence for this situation. The Saints may start off wanting two first-round picks, but they aren’t likely to get that from any team.

So what would a realistic deal look like?

Payton is done coaching the Saints so the fact that they can get anything for him before his contract simply runs out is a good thing for them. They will need to get that compensation while they can and the Broncos may be the team with the most interest in him and Payton would likely see the Broncos as a more attractive destination than say the Houston Texans, for instance.

The Broncos were able to acquire a first-round pick in the upcoming draft by trading away Bradley Chubb. That will be a key factor.

Even though that will be a late-round pick because it originally belonged to the San Francisco 49ers, it will be Denver’s best bargaining chip. It will be included in a trade if Payton is to come over.

But that won’t be all Denver gives up. However, the Saints are not going to be able to press the Broncos for multiple top assets. With that being said, here is how a trade for Payton could end up looking.

Yes, that could legitimately get it done. The Broncos would likely have to send the Saints cash compensation as well but Greg Penner and the front office won’t be deterred by that.

The Broncos are a team that is going to need all of the draft picks that they can get but getting the right head coach in place is the first order of business. If the organization feels that Payton is the right guy to turn the franchise around while also fixing Russell Wilson, then there is a good chance this deal happens and it could look like the one above.

The Broncos are scheduled to interview Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn on Friday. An announcement on a new head coach could come as soon as next week.