The NFL season isn’t over, but that hasn’t stopped pundits from speculating about one of the biggest expected coaching moves of the offseason. Everyone wants to know where Sean Payton will be in 2023.
On Tuesday, NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” touched on the subject the day after the Denver Broncos fired head coach Nathaniel Hackett less than a year into his tenure.
ESPN’s Josina Andrews mentioned Payton as a name on the Broncos’ short list of candidates for the head coach but later noted it isn’t known whether he would be interested.
New Orleans holds Payton’s rights through the 2024 season. Denver lacks draft capital this year after trading for Wilson, meaning any deal with the Saints to acquire Payton would require the Broncos to part with players who can help them win next season.
Every team with an opening should make a run for Payton, who proved to be one of the best offensive playcallers in the sport during his time with the New Orleans Saints. Denver is phenomenal on defense but has many questions on offense, especially with quarterback Russell Wilson.
Those questions should be enough to make Payton look in another direction.
On “Good Morning Football” on Tuesday, Jason McCourty began the debate regarding the Broncos by wondering, “If I’m him, why?”
Co-hosts Jamie Erdahl and Peter Schrager were more open to the idea of Denver as a viable landing spot, and their reasoning was sound. Denver has a great fanbase, an ownership group with deep pockets and a championship-level defense.
There is a legitimate concern, however, that Wilson will never reach the Pro Bowl form he showed in Seattle after his terrible first season in Denver.
Wilson is 253-for-421 passing (60.1 percent) for 3,019 yards with 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He has a record of 9-18 in his past 27 starts.
In the team’s 51-14 Christmas Day loss, Wilson threw two interceptions on his first three passes and finished 15-for-27 for 214 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Saturday that Payton is already gathering a potential coaching staff should he return for the 2023 season. He has reportedly lined up Vic Fangio to be his defensive coordinator.
Fangio was fired as Broncos head coach following the 2021 season. It would be odd for the franchise to welcome him back so recently after canning him.
Of the teams with available openings, the Indianapolis Colts make the most sense as a landing spot. The franchise has its first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, which is projected to be fifth overall after the team’s 20-3 loss Monday night. (h/t Tankathon)
They aren’t a perfect match by any stretch of the imagination. Like Denver, the Colts have a strong defense but are a mess on offense. They have no QB worth a darn, which could eliminate Payton as a possibility.
Unlike another team with a possible opening — the Carolina Panthers — Indianapolis and Denver aren’t in the same division as the Saints. That alone should make the Panthers a non-option for Payton’s services.
Also, after the job Steve Wilks has done on an interim basis in Carolina (6-9) to give the Panthers a shot to win the division, it would be a shame if he wasn’t given the head-coaching job permanently. If Wilks can do what he’s done with a team being torn down, he must be given the opportunity with a roster being built up.
As the season concludes, more teams are likely to enter the Payton sweepstakes. If the Broncos call him, though, he’d be wise not to answer.
