When the Denver Broncos traded for Sean Payton back in 2023, the reviews were honestly mixed, and after a shockingly horrendous 1-5 start to begin his tenure, many had wondered if Payton was even capable of this job.
The chatter immediately began that Payton was 'carried' by Drew Brees and just wasn't as good of a head coach as his previous stint with the New Orleans Saints was. However, some major changes happened after that 1-5 start, and through the end of the 2025 regular season, since that point, Payton and the Broncos went 31-14, winning nearly 70 percent of their games.
And the playoff progress was tangible, too. Had Bo Nix not gotten hurt, we could very well be talking about this team having won its fourth Lombardi Trophy. There really isn't a major weakness with this operation, and Payton's expertise is the center of it all. He was recently given a ton of credit in some head coach power rankings.
Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton lands at No. 5 in latest head coach rankings
Patrick Daugherty of NBC Sports ranked all 32 head coaches in the league, and Payton came in with a very strong ranking, landing in the top-5:
"Sean Payton didn’t need to prove anything. He’s done so anyways. The last of the Parcells disciples, Payton had a .631 winning percentage with the Saints. It’s .620 with the Broncos. It’s actually .666 since his infamous 70-20 loss to Mike McDaniel’s Dolphins in Week 3 of the 2023 season. That was Payton’s wake-up call. He’s been wide-eyed ever since. Payton’s continued Broncos success has come despite a few strange foibles. His vaunted short-passing game isn’t what it once was. The backfield has been reasonably efficient, if strangely inert. It obviously hasn’t precluded winning — Payton’s Broncos are the first team other than the Chiefs to take the AFC West since Mahomes became starter in 2018 — though it has turned what used to be a beautiful system into a tough watch. That’s undoubtedly what led Payton to make the shocking offseason decision of surrendering play-calling duties to OC Davis Webb. Payton is one of the best play-callers in the history of the game. That he was willing to hand over the keys speaks to not only an uncommon self awareness for someone with his résumé, but a truly burning desire to win. If Payton fails to reach another Super Bowl, it won’t be because he was unwilling to do whatever it takes."
Payton came in behind Sean McVay, Andy Reid, Kyle Shanahan, and Mike Macdonald. It'd be hard to push back on this ranking, but just based on 2025 success, you could realistically thrust Payton above Andy Reid and Kyle Shanahan, as Payton advanced his team deeper into the postseason.
Reid's Kansas City Chiefs also entirely missed the playoffs, so it's almost worth wondering if the game has passed "Big Red" by, as the Chiefs offense began to look incredibly predictable in 2025. What is clear with Payton, though, is that he's still at the top of his game, and this transition in giving offensive coordinator Davis Webb play-calling duties is a clear line in the sand of Payton understanding where he is at in his head coaching career.
If anything, Payton handing over these duties could easily add another couple of seasons to his tenure, as his tendencies as a play-caller in recent years with Denver were clearly slow - things just weren't as fast and as crisp with Payton controlling the offense from time to time.
And to be fair to Broncos Country, many, many fans were very vocal about Payton needing to hand these duties off - the coach agreed. Payton is still at the top of his game, and there really isn't any room to disagree. He continues to be among the very best head coaches in the NFL.