The Denver Broncos had a disastrous 2022 season, as their Super Bowl hopes turned to dust amidst a historically bad offense and a poor season from recently acquired quarterback Russell Wilson.
But after firing head coach Nathaniel Hackett, the Broncos are reportedly interested in the biggest name available in terms of coaches: Sean Payton, the former head man of the New Orleans Saints.
Wilson is also on board with having Payton as his next head coach.
#Broncos have made the decision that they want to hire #Saints coach Sean Payton if he's interested, per FS1.
Russell Wilson also told ownership that he wants Payton as coach, according to @TheHerd
Cowherd has strong connection with Sean Payton and says it's now up to Payton. pic.twitter.com/jXxYV1C0cM
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) January 24, 2023
Payton would be quite the offseason splash for a Denver franchise that hasn’t made the playoffs since Peyton Manning‘s last season, which came in 2015.
Payton, of course, coached another great quarterback in Drew Brees, and together, they won Super Bowl XLIV over Manning’s Indianapolis Colts, despite being underdogs going into the game.
Although Payton’s Saints didn’t consistently win during his 15 years at the helm, they were usually competitive, and they made the NFL playoffs nine times during that span.
An interesting wrinkle in Payton possibly going to the Broncos is the fact that he reportedly wants to bring Vic Fangio, the Broncos’ former head coach, with him as his defensive coordinator wherever he ends up, if indeed he wants to coach again.
Fangio was fired about a year ago after Denver finished 7-10 and lost its last four games of the year.
Many felt coming into this season that it had the talent to contend for a world championship, particularly on the offensive side of the football.
With Payton as coach and a few roster tweaks, perhaps the team could make some serious noise in 2023.
NEXT: Broncos Insider Updates The Drama Of The HC Search