One of the reasons that Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton has been so successful through 2 decades as an NFL head coach is that he thinks outside the box.
That’s led to some pretty unusual situations and a lot of wins for Payton, who led the New Orleans Saints to their lone Super Bowl win and has brought the Broncos back to life as 1 of the AFC’s top teams and a Super Bowl contender through his 1st
According to ESPN’s Seth Wickersham, Payton wanted to make arguably the most unusual move in NFL history after Belichick was fired by the New England Patriots just 15 wins short of Don Shula’s NFL career wins record.
“When Belichick and the Patriots divorced in 2024, Payton considered presenting Broncos owner Greg Penner a proposal for the ages: Hire Belichick as head coach until he reached 15 wins, enough to break Don Shula’s career record of 347,” Wickersham wrote on July 7. “Payton would temporarily step down to assistant head coach and run the offense, then move back after Belichick became the all-time leader. In the end, it was too complicated — and maybe too fanciful.”
The Broncos snapped an 8-year playoff drought in 2024 and went 14-3 in 2025 on the way to earning the No. 1 seed in the AFC Playoffs before losing to the Patriots at home in the AFC Championship Game.
It’s the latest chapter in what’s been a pretty eventful — and incredibly weird — offseason for Payton.
Broncos Locked Payton Down With New Contract
In June, the Broncos made sure Payton isn’t going anywhere, anytime soon with a new contract extension.
“ESPN sources: The Broncos and Sean Payton have reached agreement on a new five-year contract,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on his official X account on June 11 “Payton has led the Broncos to the third-most wins in the NFL over the past two years, including an AFC Championship Game appearance last season. Now, Broncos owner Greg Penner has both his HC and GM George Paton under contract through the 2030 season, with stability across his football operations … The Broncos gave up a first-round pick and a second-round pick to acquire Sean Payton in 2023 from New Orleans. Since then, Denver has improved its win total in each season under Payton and has now rewarded him with a new five-year contract.”
According to several sources, Payton’s $18 million-per-year salary makes him the 2nd-highest-paid head coach in the NFL, trailing just Kansas City Chiefs head coach and 3-time Super Bowl champion Andy Reid at $20 million per year.
“Sean Payton has led an impressive turnaround over the past three seasons, instilling a winning culture with high expectations,” Broncos owner and CEO Greg Penner said after news of Payton’s new contract broke. “I appreciate the close partnership he shares with George Paton along with the alignment and stability across our football operations. We’re thrilled for Sean to continue leading our team as head coach, building on our progress during such an exciting time for the Broncos.”
Sean Payton’s Career: Controversy and Winning
Few head coaches in NFL history have had the success — and generated the controversy — that Payton has over his 2-plus decades as an NFL head coach for the New Orleans Saints and Broncos. That includes a Super Bowl win with the Saints following the 2009 season.
Payton was at the center of the sprawling “Bountygate” scandal with the Saints, when Goodell handed out some of the harshest penalties in league history after discovering the Saints operated a slush fund that paid defensive players “bounties’ for injuring opposing players.
In response, Goodell suspended Payton and linebacker Jonathan Vilma for the entire 2012 season and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams indefinitely. While Vilma had his suspension overturned on appeal, Payton served his yearlong suspension.
Payton returned to the Saints following the suspension and was their head coach for 9 more seasons.
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