Broncos officially hire Sean Payton as next head coach; sends 1st round pick to New Orleans

The wait is over, and dominoes are starting to fall in the head coaching market as former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton has been hired by the Denver Broncos for the same position. The Broncos will send a 2023 first-round pick and a 2024 second-round pick to New Orleans in exchange for Payton and a 2024 third-round pick.

Payton is known around the NFL for being one of the brightest offensive minds in the league’s history and among the top coaches in all of football. He found great success in New Orleans, going 152-89 in 15 years as their head coach, winning the Super Bowl in 2009. His offenses consistently ranked in the top 10 in both scoring and yards while in New Orleans.

Payton’s NFL career began in 1997 when he became the quarterbacks coach for the Philadelphia Eagles. After two seasons in Philadelphia, he became the quarterbacks coach for the New York Giants for one season until becoming the team’s offensive coordinator in 2000, holding that position for the next three seasons. He then became the assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach for the Dallas Cowboys for three years before eventually being hired by the Saints.

The Broncos are considered one of the top destinations for Payton in particular due to the similarities to his situation in New Orleans. Russell Wilson struggled mightily in his first season in Denver under head coach Nathaniel Hackett after showing himself to be one of the best quarterbacks in football with the Seattle Seahawks. Wilson has been compared to former Saints field general Drew Brees in terms of size and accuracy. Brees was also an imperfect product in his time with the then San Diego Chargers. This can be considered an opportunity for Payton to fix and possibly even perfect Wilson as he did with Brees.

The Broncos fired Nathaniel Hackett before the end of the 2022 season.