Story update: After this post was scheduled, Sean Payton said he regrets the comments he made. See our original post below.
From the moment he arrived, new Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton made it clear that he would do things differently than his predecessor.
“The work has started. I kind of use this term, ‘A little bit more anonymous donors this season,’” Payton said during his introductory press conference in February. “Just know that we’re working, but with a little bit less visibility on social media and all those other things.”
Former Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett hyped up the arrival of quarterback Russell Wilson last offseason and the first-year coach promised an abundance of touchdowns. Then the team went 4-11 thanks in large part to a dismal offense and Hackett was fired with two games remaining in the 2022 season.
Payton observed the disaster from a distance while taking a break from coaching last fall.
“It doesn’t happen often where an NFL team or organization gets embarrassed,” Payton said in a recent interview with USA TODAY‘s Jarrett Bell. “And that happened here. Part of it was their own fault, relative to spending so much (expletive) time trying to win the offseason — the PR, the pomp and circumstance, marching people around and all this stuff.”
Hackett has since landed with the New York Jets, reuniting with quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who he coached with the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers’ arrival in New York has created plenty of hoopla — and NFL Films will follow the Jets to film “Hard Knocks” this summer.
Payton seems to think New York is making a similar mistake to Denver’s last year.
“We’re not doing any of that,” Payton told Bell. “The Jets did that this year. You watch. ‘Hard Knocks,’ all of it. I can see it coming. Remember when (former Washington owner) Dan Snyder put that Dream Team together? I was at the Giants (in 2000). I was a young coach. I thought, ‘How are we going to compete with them? Deion’s (Sanders) there now.’ That team won eight games or whatever. So, listen…just put the work in.”
That has been Payton’s message since he arrived — just put in the work. The Broncos have kept a much lower profile this summer, following Payton’s direction. We’ll see if that helps lead to better results in the fall.
In the meantime, Jets coach Robert Saleh and offensive lineman Billy Turner have both responded to Payton’s comments. Denver’s showdown with New York in Week 5 will be must-watch television.
