The Denver Broncos introduced Sean Payton as their new head coach at an introductory press conference last week.
The hire was a big addition for the Broncos, who now have a Super Bowl-coach in charge of their program. Before hiring Payton, Denver first had to work out a trade with the New Orleans Saints, where Payton was technically still under contract for two more seasons.
The draft picks involved in the trade won’t officially change hands until the NFL’s new league year begins on March 15, but the Broncos were allowed to officially hire Payton well before then.
When he met the media in Denver for the first time, Payton made it clear that three big elements of Broncos Country attracted him to the team.
1. Ownership
“On one of the Fox broadcasts, I said it pretty clearly: Ownership was important to me [in this search],” Payton said Monday. “I had been exposed to a great ownership group in New Orleans.”
The Broncos have an ownership group with Walmart heir Rob Walton as the majority, controlling owner. Walton’s son-in-law, Greg Penner, is a co-owner and the club’s chief executive officer. A good ownership group was the No. 1 thing Payton was looking for, and he found it in Denver.
2. Front office/GM
After ownership, the second thing Payton was looking for was a good front office, notably including the team’s general manager. Payton previously worked with Mickey Loomis with the Saints and he will now work with George Paton in Denver.
“What I knew for 16 years wasn’t easy, but it was functional, it was supportive, it was respectful, and it was teamwork at its best,” Payton said of working with a GM in New Orleans. “That was Mickey Loomis, who I didn’t know at the time and later became a very close friend.”
Payton said the relationship between ownership, the general manager and the coach was the “most important” factor he was considering when interviewing with teams this offseason. Payton believes he and Paton will be a good fit to form a collaborative relationship at Dove Valley.
3. The fans
In addition to wanting a team with good ownership and a smart GM, Paton also wanted a city with a passionate following and an accomplished franchise history. He’s found that in Denver.
“I think the second most important thing to me was the passion,” Payton said. “Is football important here? Obviously, it is. It’s a city that’s had great success — three championships and number of Super Bowl appearances.”
The Broncos have sold out every home game since 1970. Payton said the team has a “fantastic” fan base.
“Throughout the process of interviewing, it still came back to that triangle of front office, ownership, and then a passionate fan base,” Payton said.
The Broncos have checked all those boxes.
