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The Denver Broncos officially confirmed Sean Payton as the 20th head coach in franchise history, 40 days after firing rookie head coach Nathaniel Hackett at the end of a terrible 5-12 season.
‘Sean Payton is an outstanding leader and Super Bowl champion with a brilliant offensive mind. He shares our commitment to winning championships for Broncos Country and we are excited to welcome him as our new head coach,” owner and CEO Greg Penner said in a statement.
‘Sean knows how to build a championship culture with high expectations. He trains with intensity and attention to detail while setting and maintaining high standards. Sean puts his heart and soul into winning with preparation, creativity and a genuine love of the game.’
The Broncos reached an agreement earlier this week to compensate the New Orleans Saints, who had Payton under contract for two more years.
A person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the Saints would receive the Broncos’ first-round pick, No. 29 overall, in this year’s draft and a 2022 second-round pick and that the Broncos would receive the third round New Orleans. selection round next year.
Sean Payton has finally been confirmed as the new head coach of the Denver Broncos
Payton has been out of the NFL for a year, but now he’s back with a tough job in Denver
Nathaniel Hackett led a disastrous season, in which the Broncos finished 5-12
Payton, 59, will be formally introduced Monday at team headquarters. He’s already been busy interviewing candidates for his coaching staff.
Payton, who worked broadcasting this season after leaving the Saints when Drew Brees retired, went 152-89 in 15 seasons with New Orleans and was 9-8 in the playoffs. He led the Saints to a 31-17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl after the 2009 season.
“It’s rare in any sport to hire a head coach with Sean’s credentials and we appreciate the first-class manner in which the Saints approached this process,” Penner said. ‘We also appreciate the opportunity to meet and learn from the other highly qualified outstanding trainers we interviewed.
“Our goal was to identify a strong leader for the Denver Broncos who was focused on winning, and we found him in Coach Payton.”
Payton’s first order of business after building his staff will be helping quarterback Russell Wilson navigate a comeback following the worst statistical season of his 11-year NFL career.
The Broncos went 5-12 last season, extending their playoff drought to seven years. Hackett was fired on December 26 with a 4-11 record, making him the fifth head coach to fail to make it past his first season in NFL history. Interim head coach Jerry Rosburg went 1-1 to cap out the Broncos’ sixth straight losing season.
The Broncos were arguably the biggest disappointment in the league in 2022 given the successful trade with Seattle for Wilson that cost Denver four premium draft picks and three players and the signing of Hackett, who turned out to be the biggest flop of the cycle. hiring last year, overseeing an offense that averaged fewer than 16 points per game.
Wilson signed a $245 million extension before the season, one that doesn’t even kick in until next year. He has vowed to do everything in his power to recover in 2023.
Payton watches from the court at the New Orleans Pelicans in April 2022
Changing Russell Wilson’s future will be high on Payton’s agenda when he starts
The Seahawks own the No. 5 overall pick over the Broncos in the upcoming draft. The first-round pick sent to New Orleans for Payton is No. 29 overall. They got that pick from the Miami Dolphins in the Bradley Chubb trade last year. The selection originally belonged to the San Francisco 49ers.
Payton was the headliner during this year’s head coaching vacancy cycle. Only five teams were looking for new coaches: the Broncos, Texans, Panthers, Colts, and Cardinals.
The Broncos conducted an exhaustive search, beginning with a virtual visit to Jim Harbaugh, who has decided to stay at the University of Michigan. Dan Quinn, DeMeco Ryans, Raheem Morris, Ejiro Evero, Jim Caldwell and David Shaw were also considered. The Texans signed Ryans, who was a finalist in Denver, on Tuesday.
Penner led the search with the help of limited partner Condoleezza Rice and general manager George Paton.