Former Saints coach Sean Payton has had no shortage of options this offseason for a hypothetical return to coaching. The Fox analyst has been connected at times to jobs with the Cardinals, Panthers, Broncos and Texans.
However, Payton has yet to find a new coaching home, and now controversy has erupted surrounding the Super Bowl XLIV champion's visit with Denver.
Upon Carolina’s hiring of former Colts coach Frank Reich Thursday, Mark Maske of The Washington Post tweeted that Payton “likes the idea of coaching Russell Wilson and having that defense but fears a potential power struggle with a member of the ownership group,” according to a source. Maske added that Payton had positive interactions with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, a member of the Broncos’ ownership group since July 2022.
Payton, however, denied that his conversations with Denver were anything but amiable.
“Zero truth to this,” Payton wrote in a quote-tweet of Maske’s report Thursday evening. “We had a great visit and Broncos ownership was fantastic!”
Payton remains on the market as the Broncos continue to search for a replacement for Nathaniel Hackett, whom the team fired Dec. 26.
