Sean Payton sees a lot of New Orleans in the Denver Broncos.
“It's a great football city like we had in New Orleans,” said Payton on Tuesday from his home in Los Angeles, less than an hour after the news broke that he would be the next head coach of the Denver Broncos. “It matters there. The fans are passionate about the team.”“It matters there. The fans are passionate about the team.”
As head coach-franchise fits go, this one couldn't have been much better. The Broncos new ownership group was looking for a proven head coach with CEO-type qualities to be their next leader. Payton was seeking a club with a track record of success with strong ownership.
"This was the opportunity I was looking for," Payton said.
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Payton and Saints general manager Mickey Loomis then spent the past three days negotiating the compensation package required in the trade for Payton, who remained under contract in New Orleans through 2024.
They finally arrived at a deal on Tuesday: The Saints receive a first-round pick in this year’s draft, the 29th overall, and a second-round pick in the 2024 draft in return for the rights to Payton and the Saints’ 2024 third-round draft pick.
“George and Mickey were great,” Payton said. “It took a minute, but they worked through hard and got a deal done.”
In Payton, the Broncos are getting a proven winner. Payton guided the Saints to 10 winning season and seven NFC South Division titles in his 15 seasons as Saints head coach. In 2009, he led the Saints to the Super Bowl XLIV title, the club's lone league championship.
Payton said he was impressed by all of the teams he met with during the interview process but connected with the Broncos from the outset. His initial interview with Broncos officials lasted more than six hours.
“I tried to put ownership at the top from beginning, and I was impressed with how much they want to be successful,” Payton said of the Walton-Penner ownership group in Denver. We had great support in New Orleans. I can’t recall Mr. or Mrs. B (Tom and Gayle Benson) ever saying no to something.”
In Denver, Payton will team with veteran quarterback Russell Wilson to try to reverse the fortunes of a club that has suffered six consecutive losing seasons and gone through three different head coaches since 2015.
Wilson, an 11-year veteran with nine Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl title on his resume, called Payton during the interview process to offer his support for his candidacy. Wilson suffered the worst season of his career in his debut campaign in Denver, throwing for 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions for a career-low 84.4 passer efficiency rating,
“Russell is a hard worker and has played at a high level and won a lot of games in this league,” Payton said. “The pressure is on us to put a good run game together and reduce the degree of difficulty on his position. I’m excited about him.”
Payton is also excited about the challenge of competing in the AFC West Division, where twice a year he and the Broncos will face two of the league’s premier quarterbacks: Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs and Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers.
“Shoot, that’s what it’s all about,” Payton said. “That’s what gets the juices going again.”
Knowing how Payton operates, it won't take long for the Broncos to become a factor in the division. The Broncos got the star head coach they needed, and the AFC West just got exponentially more interesting.
