Sean Payton is heading to the Denver Broncos as the franchise’s next head coach, according to CBS Sports NFL Insider Jonathan Jones, after Denver allegedly acquired its contractual rights from the New Orleans Saints. The Saints and Broncos have finalized trade compensation for head coach Sean Payton, according to ESPNpaving the way for the Super Bowl champion head coach to become Denver’s next head coach.
Denver sends its 2023 first-round pick from San Francisco (30th overall) and a 2024 second-round pick to New Orleans for Payton and its 2024 third-round pick, according to Adam Schefter. The first-round pick sent by Denver is actually the one acquired from the Dolphins in exchange for linebacker Bradley Chubb. Miami acquired the pick initially from the 49ers as part of the Trey Lance deal. The Dolphins are out of a 2023 first-round pick after theirs was lost following the Tom Brady tampering investigation. Now Denver joins Miami as a team without a first-round pick in the upcoming draft since they sent their own first-rounder as part of a larger deal with the Seattle Seahawks to acquire quarterback Russell. Wilson.
Payton, 59, last coached the Saints in 2021 but remains under contract which is why a trade had to be done. With the Saints, he became the winningest coach in franchise history with a 152-89 record (.631 winning percentage) and a 9-8 record in the playoffs. New Orleans had one playoff win in team history before Payton arrived. The Saints reached the top of the mountain in Super Bowl XLIV, their only championship in team history under Payton. With him and primarily future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees, the Saints offense ranked second in points per game (27.5), first in total yards per game (391.4), first third in conversion rate (45.4%) and first red zone conversion rate (61.1%) from 2006 to 2021. These ranks exclude the 2012 season in which Payton was suspended for the Bountygate scandal. team.
That trade and hiring of Payton came largely because Russell Wilson struggled mightily in his first season as a Bronco. He completed just 60 percent of his passes for 16 pass ratings, 11 interceptions and an 84.4 passer rating. Those who all placed 25th or worse in the league. Wilson went 4-11 as a starter, leading to the firing of first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett before the end of the 2022 season. The Broncos averaged 16.9 points per game in 2022 , the lowest in the entire league.
Here’s the total compensation the Broncos parted ways with to make Russell Wilson their franchise quarterback – the team signed him to a five-year, $245 million extension before he took a season shot regularly with the team – and Sean Payton their new head coach. Here’s the Broncos’ total run for Russell Wilson and Sean Payton:
Traded Broncos
Three first-round picks
Three second-round picks
2022 5th Round Pick
QB Drew Lock
TE Noah Fant
DL Shelby Harris
Broncos received
QB Russell Wilson
HC Sean Payton
2022 fourth-round pick
2024 third-round pick
Below are the Broncos and Saints’ trade notes on the deal that sent Payton to Mile High. The Broncos will be ranked on a curve due to their heavy investment in Russell Wilson.
Sean Payton’s Trade Notes
Saints: A.
New Orleans walks away with a first-round pick in the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft AND a 2024 second-round pick for its best head coach in team history is an absolute steal. Payton retired/resigned as Saints head coach after the 2021 season after looking around the room and realizing life in New Orleans wasn’t quite as rosy without Drew Brees. Normally, a team trying to trade a disgruntled star player under contract results in a lower return than the team parting ways with the star would have hoped for. Still, the Saints were able to coerce the Broncos into parting with two top picks anyway due to their desperation. Phenomenal work by Saints general manager Mickey Loomis.
New Orleans will now be able to advance to the first round of the next draft after trading their own pick to the Philadelphia Eagles a year ago. This trade doesn’t completely fix that error since this pick will be in the back of the first round instead of the top 10 like their own pick would have been, but Loomis got to the ballpark of what he might have hoped for when the separation. with someone who didn’t want to be part of the franchise anymore despite not having crazy leverage.
Broncos: B+
This rating comes with the recognition that the franchise has bonded with Russell Wilson for better or worse with the trade and contract extension they made for him.
It was a trade and a hire Denver had to make given its heavy investment in Wilson. The Broncos gave the declining quarterback $165 million in guaranteed money, including $124 million when he signed his five-year, $245 million extension, according to OverTheCap.com. General manager George Paton needs Wilson to get fit after having the worst year of his career in 2022 since the new owner who didn’t hire him now runs the show. While schematically, Payton’s quick and fast offense, which featured Drew Brees reading defenses almost exclusively from the pocket, contrasts with Wilson’s best strength in his career, his ability to create outside the pocket , the Broncos had to go for the most successful coach with a shorter quarterback in NFL history.
Normally giving up that type of haul for someone who isn’t even an active player would be somewhere in the B- to C range, but the Broncos get a B+ because they were able to make a deal that positions Wilson to have the best chance at a career recovery. If Wilson can’t bounce back with Payton as head coach and point guard, that’s an indictment on the quarterback. The Broncos’ front office and ownership group can sleep soundly at night knowing they’ve done everything in their power to succeed with Russell Wilson and make their authoritative investment in him profitable.