Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton shares a lot in common with future Hall of Fame head coach Mike Shanahan, the greatest head coach in Broncos history. Not only have Shanahan and Payton shared the title of "Denver Broncos head coach", but both guys are Eastern Illinois alumni (along with Tony Romo and Jimmy Garoppolo). One thing they apparently almost share in common is the title of "former Raiders head coach".
Mike Shanahan was head coach of the Raiders for just 20 games in the late 80s before he was let go, and more than a decade after Shanahan's short tenure with the Raiders, they were looking into hiring another bright, young, offensive-minded head coaching candidate: Sean Payton.
Payton revealed in his Wednesday media availability that he interviewed with the late Raiders owner Al Davis before ultimately deciding not to take the job, but it was close...
Sean Payton was nearly head coach of the Raiders in the early 2000s
"I was a young assistant in 2003 and I was brought out interviewed by Al for the head coaching job. really got close to taking it. That’s a long story into itself. Al Davis was real sharp. There aren't many people when you look at it who was the head coach, he was the general manager, he's been commissioner and an owner."
- Broncos HC Sean Payton (via team PR)
The fact that Payton says he got close to taking the job implies that it was offered to him. The Raiders were making a head coaching change right after the 2003 NFL season when Bill Callahan was their head coach. Instead of hiring Payton, they ended up hiring Norv Turner whose tenure with the Raiders lasted just two seasons. And it's really been sort of a comedy of errors with the coaching hires in Oakland/Las Vegas ever since that time.
The Raiders have had the likes of Turner, Art Shell, Tom Cable, Hue Jackson, Jack Del Rio, Dennis Allen, Jon Gruden, Josh McDaniels, and now Antonio Pierce in the head coach's seat since they interviewed Payton for the job.
Payton went on to create a great legacy for himself as head coach of the New Orleans Saints, obviously, winning a Super Bowl title and becoming one of the winningest head coaches in modern football.
It's probably for the best that Payton turned the opportunity down when he did, because the Raiders were in a state of disarray after trading Jon Gruden to the Buccaneers in the early 2000s. They made it to the Super Bowl that same year, but were crushed by Gruden and the Bucs, and have had just two winning seasons since 2003.
Sean Payton was the streak ender for the Broncos last season. He couldn't help the team end its losing streak against the Raiders, however, which just one win against the Raiders last year would have given Payton a winning record in his first year in Denver. It didn't happen. He understands the importance of this rivalry and this team getting off to a good start vs. divisional opponents.
And he was nearly on the wrong side of history.