The Panthers are no longer an option for Sean Payton. And there was an issue with Payton’s interview with the Broncos. Payton likes the idea of coaching Russell Wilson and having that defense but fears a potential power struggle with a member of the ownership group, source says.
— MarkMaske (@MarkMaske) January 26, 2023
The spiciest Sean Payton report so far comes to us from the Washington Post’s Mark Maske, who has an update on Payton’s negotiations with the Denver Broncos. Maske says Payton likes the football setup — coaching Russell Wilson, working with a talented defense — but there’s been a hitch in interviewing with the new Broncos ownership group, and that Payton “fears a potential power struggle” with one of the team’s owners.
Led by Walmart heir Rob Walton but managed day-to-day by his son-in-law Greg Penner and daughter Carrie Penner, the Broncos are owned by a group that includes Ariel Investments co-CEO Mellody Hobson, former United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and seven-time Formula 1 champion Sir Lewis Hamilton.
So which of those claimants to the throne is muscling Payton out of the job? Whoever his nemesis is, it’s clear he’d rather look for work somewhere he faces less friction and competition from a rogues’ gallery in ownership, much like he enjoyed in New Orleans. It turns out that, maybe, the grass isn’t always greener somewhere else. Sometimes you just need to water it.