The Hot Seat: AFC West Head Coaches' job security in 2023

4. Sean Payton, Denver Broncos

Job security: Plenty of time to turn it around

If Andy Reid is not in the same zip code as a hot seat, I think it's fair to say Sean Payton is not in the same neighborhood as a hot seat. The Denver Broncos have cycled through coach after coach since Gary Kubiak was forced to step down due to health reasons.

First, it was Vance Joseph. Then Vic Fangio. Then Nathaniel Hackett.

The Broncos have gotten made fun of for their quarterback carousel, but the head coach carousel is more embarrassing and less excusable. The new ownership group in Denver set out to make the most educated hire possible in the 2023 offseason, but it always felt like the list was going to be more limited to the experienced candidates.

Getting Sean Payton was no small task for the Walton-Penner Ownership Group. It required permission from the league, permission from the Saints, and a genuine interest from Payton himself. It required facilitating a trade. It required negotiating likely one of the richest head

Time will tell if the investment was worth it for this Denver Broncos team, but because of all that has been invested in Sean Payton, I think it's safe to say his seat is nowhere near hot, warm, or anything. I don't think there's anything that could realistically happen in 2023 to compromise Payton's job security for 2024, either. He should be considered one of the "safest" coaches in the league heading into the 2023 season.