With the 2026 NFL Trade Deadline approaching in less than a week, we'll soon know for sure whether the Denver Broncos add a player or two. This team has been lumped in as being potentially interested in a running back, but only having interest is not enough.
The team did swing a trade for Jaylen Waddle this past offseason, so we know the front office can be aggressive enough, but making an in-season move is a different animal. Whether the team adds at running back or tight end, or another position, the team must show off some aggression.
The team is right in the middle of a Super Bowl window, and for head coach Sean Payton, his own legacy is on the line as well.
Denver Broncos' HC Sean Payton has all-time history to strive for
The Broncos were trending toward making the Super Bowl last year, but Bo Nix's broken ankle essentially ended things. With 2025 being year one of that window opening, and it being flushed down the drain, that should only make 2026 a more urgent season, as Super Bowl windows are not guaranteed for long in this league.
Just look at the Seattle Seahawks, for example. This team lost three games all of last year, and are now 4-4 on the season and might have to settle for a Wild Card spot. Quarterback Sam Darnold has regressed, and it's just not been a good season for Seattle. It's not wild to think that 2025 was their only shot if they can't get things turned around this year.
For Payton, not only is this current season with the Broncos seeing the team in a window, but Payton's legacy in all-time head coaching history is on the line. The first and most obvious thing at play here is Payton trying to become the first head coach in NFL history to win a Super Bowl with two different franchises. It's never been done before, and a title with the Broncos would surely have Payton as a future Hall of Fame coach.
Secondly, accumulating more wins also thrusts Payton further up all-time history. Right now, Payton has 193 regular season wins. With four more, he would pass Mike Tomlin and Chuck Noll, who both sit at 193. Payton getting to 194 would place him alone in 9th all-time.
If the Broncos ended up winning 12 games this year, for example, which has been the pace since the start of 2024, Payton would add six more wins and get to 196, which would place him just four away from tying Marty Schottenheimer for 8th all-time. Paul Brown is also in rage in 2027, as he has 213 wins.
As for the playoffs, Payton's 10 wins tie him with a handful of other coaches. If Denver were to win it all this year with 3 or 4 playoff wins in the process, Payton could potentially sit at 7th all-time in playoff wins if he got to 14. His 200 total wins have him at 12th all-time.
Payton is on the cusp of getting inside the top-10 in wins. He also has a legitimate shot at doing something as a head coach that no other head coach has done before in league history. The Broncos are the vehicle for this success - I'd be shocked if Payton was unfamiliar with where he stood, roughly, with his wins.
I'd also be shocked if he were unaware that he could become the first HC in history to win a Super Bowl with two different teams. All of that has to present a heightened level of motivation to get this team across the finish line in 2026. One way that can happen, obviously, is with a major trade deadline move.
And, as I have said before, if now isn't the time to get aggressive, then when?
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