The Denver Broncos franchise has done a total 180 in the Sean Payton era. After that 1-5 start in 2023, many wondered if the Broncos made the right choice in hiring Payton, saying that he was a 'Drew Brees merchant' and wasn't that good of a head coach.
Well, the team has turned a massive corner since that brutal start, and now just two years later, are atop the NFL and could win the Super Bowl this year. It feels like Denver has constantly made the right moves wherever you look - they've hit on a ton of players in the NFL Draft and have clearly hired the right coaches as well.
All of a sudden, Denver is not only in position to have a ton of success this year, but, no matter how they finish out the 2025 NFL Season, the long-term future of this team really could not be brighter.
The Broncos have everything they need to guarantee long-term success, even after 2025
The first huge thing to take note of here is that Russell Wilson's contract is officially off the books after the 2025 NFL Season. And, according to spotrac.com, the Broncos will have just under $48 million in cap space in the 2026 offseason.
Financially, they are in great shape. Secondly, the Broncos have invested in all the right positions, as their offensive line and defensive line, really aside from John Franklin-Myers, will all be under contract in 2026 and beyond. Games in the NFL are won in the trenches, and Denver's trench play on both sides of the ball is the best in the league.
Denver's draft capital is also in a good spot - they have an extra fourth-round pick thanks to the Devaughn Vele trade, and if Vance Joseph were to land a head coaching job this cycle, Denver would get extra third-round picks. The days of not having first or second-round picks are over for now.
And perhaps the biggest reason why Denver will be successful in the long-term is because of QB Bo Nix, a franchise QB who is still on his rookie deal. The Broncos are obviously empowered to go all-in while Nix is still cheap, and Denver did do that last offseason and will be even more resource-rich next offseason.
Sean Payton and George Paton are the two leaders of this operation and are stirring this drink together in a major way. The Denver Broncos, even if they were to not win a playoff game this year, have a winning formula for long-term success.