Report: Broncos finalize deal with Saints for Sean Payton originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The Denver Broncos reportedly have reeled in the biggest fish of the 2023 coaching cycle.
Sean Payton will be the Broncos' next head coach after the franchise agreed to a trade with the New Orleans Saints for multiple draft picks. The Broncos will send a first-round pick in 2023 (No. 29 overall) and their 2024 second-round pick to the Saints for Payton and a 2024 third-round pick, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported.
Led by a new ownership group, the Broncos were looking to make a splash in 2023. The franchise traded for Russell Wilson last offseason, a move that ultimately flopped and quickly led to former head coach Nathaniel Hackett getting fired in December.
Now, the Walton family is putting all their trust in Payton to revive Wilson's career and a Broncos franchise that hasn't made the postseason since winning the Super Bowl in February of 2016.
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Payton, 59, coached for 15 seasons with the Saints, going 152-89 from 2006 to 2021 before stepping away last year. He won Super Bowl XLIV in February of 2010 and never finished a season with fewer than seven wins.
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After working in an analyst role for FOX this season, Payton interviewed with a handful of clubs for head coaching jobs. Because he's still under contract with the Saints, any team interested in hiring Payton had to work out compensation with New Orleans.
With a trade package reportedly agreed upon, Payton is now headed to Mile High.
