Sean Payton's former team just paved the way for Broncos to make huge hire

Interestingly enough, when Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton has been asked about the past couple of Super Bowls including the Eagles and Chiefs and his predictions for the big games, he's made mention of the kicking game being the most crucial factor in favor of the Kansas City Chiefs. To his credit, Payton was right about the kicking game being a factor in both instances.

Two seasons ago, it was a massive play in the return game by Kadarius Toney that set up the winning score for the Chiefs. This year, it was the Eagles absolutely kicking the snot out of Kansas City that got it done.

In all seriousness, for Payton to point this out as the biggest difference maker in two of the last three Super Bowls is indicative of something much larger than just an off-the-wall opinion or a hidden factor in a single game: Special teams matter tremendously to Sean Payton.

Payton has spoken a number of times about the "hidden yardage" within special teams and how that plays such a huge role over the course of an entire season. And it's no secret that the Broncos were burned a number of times in 2024 by their special teams, even if that unit has been drastically improved over the last two years compared to where the Broncos were previously.

Now, Payton's old team -- the New Orleans Saints -- have basically given the all-clear for him to make one of the best and most important coaching hires of the 2025 offseason. With the Saints hiring Kellen Moore as their next head coach, special teams coordinator/interim head coach Darren Rizzi is now available.

And he's expected to be pursued by the Broncos quickly...

Broncos hiring Darren Rizzi as special teams coordinator would be a game-changer

Players have spoken highly of Darren Rizzi for years at this point. Rizzi has made an impression everywhere he's been in the NFL thanks to his intensity and authenticity, but he's also just really good at his job.

He obviously hopes to be an NFL head coach at some point, and he's gotten looks in the past, but the interim gig with the Saints was his first major audition. And he did a good enough job that it seems it was at least a bit of a difficult choice for the Saints to go in a different direction.

But the Saints' loss could soon be the Denver Broncos' gain. To circle it all back, the importance of those "hidden" yards on special teams cannot be overstated. Whether you're talking about kick/punt coverage, the return game, or any aspect of special teams, the Saints have been elite in that category ever since Rizzi took over.

And one of his true calling cards? Developing young players. Rizzi gets young guys involved in the special teams unit and paves the way for them to make an impact early on. We've seen a number of key players on that New Orleans Saints roster emerge seemingly out of nowhere, and the Broncos have even benefitted from it.

Remember the Wil Lutz trade in 2023? That was made possible thanks to the Saints discovering and developing Blake Grupe. And you could point to a number of other major instances of players emerging from out of nowhere such as Rashid Shaheed developing into a Pro Bowl and All-Pro return specialist under Rizzi's watch.

The advantages of bringing in a coach like this are astronomical for the Denver Broncos. Having an elite special teams unit is extremely underrated and has been an unsung reason why the Kansas City Chiefs have been able to build a dynasty in recent years.

Hopefully, the Broncos will be able to add Rizzi to the staff sooner rather than later and he can begin putting his stamp on the team.