One of the NFL’s best coaches of the past 20 years is reportedly returning to the sidelines.
The Broncos and Saints have reached an agreement to trade head coach Sean Payton to Denver, per multiple outlets. New Orleans will reportedly receive a 2023 first-round pick and another early pick from Denver as compensation for the 59-year-old Payton.
In Denver, Payton takes over a team that came into the 2022 season with championship hopes but went 5-12 last year and finished last in the AFC West. While the Broncos were seen as a strong candidate to land Payton because of the presence of former Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson, Payton stressed the alignment between him and the front office would be a primary factor in coaching again.
“I think it’s really about the triangular relationship — ownership front office, coach,” Payton said in early January. “When we went to New Orleans, the quarterback was unsettled at that time. So I think ownership and the functionality of the front office is most important.”
The Broncos post became open in December after the new brass parted ways with first-year coach Nathaniel Hackett after just 15 games.
Payton compiled a 152-89 mark in the regular season and went 9-8 in the playoffs over 15 seasons with New Orleans, which included winning Super Bowl XLIV and seven NFC South titles. His .631 winning percentage ranks seventh all-time among NFL coaches with at least 150 wins.
He stepped aside from coaching last year and served as a FOX NFL analyst.
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