It didn’t take long to get a reaction out of former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton once news broke of his trade to the Denver Broncos, with the Super Bowl XLIV-winning coach surveying his new surroundings with Nola.com’s Jeff Duncan: “Great fanbase. Great tradition. The ownership group is fantastic, and I love the way they competed last year. It’s a great football city like we had in New Orleans.”
We’re guessing the money is pretty nice, too. Denver’s new ownership group is by far the wealthiest in the NFL, and they made their intentions of dangling that gold-plated carrot around very clear early in the process. Payton was reportedly seeking an average annual salary of between $20 and $25 million per year, which the Broncos must have been willing to match. Good for him.
And good luck out there, Payton. He’s facing a tough task in getting Russell Wilson’s career back on track after the veteran quarterback took a tumble in 2022. But he’s done this trick before in turning Drew Brees into one of the best passers in league history after the Chargers let him walk away. Their accomplishments in turning New Orleans around can’t be understated. Let’s see what Payton does next.