Broncos' Sean Payton Hire Named One of NFL's Worst Offseason Moves
Not everyone who covers the NFL was thrilled about the Denver Broncos acquiring Sean Payton's coaching rights via trade and, subsequently, hiring him. Although Broncos Country the world over has celebrated the Payton hire with no small amount of relief, Bleacher Report's Alex Ballentine panned it as one of the five worst moves of the 2023 NFL offseason.
Ballentine must be a yoga practitioner because he really had to stretch to come up with this.
Good decisions rarely come from a place of desperation. After watching Nathaniel Hackett attempt to coach the Denver Broncos last season, the trade for Sean Payton feels like an overcorrection.
Payton was the most accomplished head coach available, but the Broncos paid a steep price. Because Payton was still under contract with the Saints, they had to trade a first-round pick this season (No. 29 overall) and a 2024 second-round pick for Payton and a 2024 third-round pick.
Having to give up precious trade capital was always going to complicate the Payton hire, but look at it like this: after all the depredations the Broncos have been through over the past seven years, would you trade Bradley Chubb for a guy who could put an end to the head-coaching carousel, and bring competency back to Denver?
The Walton/Penner group's short calculus on that question was, 'heck yeah.' It's suboptimal to be lacking a first or second-round pick in the draft this year, but the impact that the right head coach can have on a team, outside of landing a bonafide franchise quarterback, is the single most franchise-altering addition that could be made.
Ballentine's criticism continues:
Payton is a good coach. He's won a Super Bowl and boasts a 161–97 record for his career. But there are a lot of disappointing Saints seasons mixed in there with a prime Drew Brees. For instance, the Saints went 7-9 for three consecutive seasons from 2014 to 2016.
With a year off to recharge, Payton could be just what the Broncos need. But there's also a chance that Russell Wilson is cooked and there's a rebuild right around the corner.
If that's the case, they just gave up precious draft capital for a head coach who is more suited for a readymade team to contend.
The Broncos might be more "readymade" to contend than most NFL writers from the national perspective think, especially after the additions Payton made to the offensive line this offseason. The Broncos have three of the four foundational roster pieces in hand in Russell Wilson, left tackle Garett Bolles, and cornerback Patrick Surtain II.
I'm including Wilson for a reason. After all, he's a nine-time Pro Bowler entering his 12th season.
The Broncos are missing a bonafide franchise edge rusher, but there's still a chance Randy Gregory could be that guy, with a little luck from the injury bug. Throw into the "readymade" equation a wide receiver corps still teeming with talent, especially when you consider the young tight ends Denver has, and offensively, all that was missing was the right coaching architect.
Defensively, the Broncos might have some holes, but they're of the depth variety. The starting lineup on the defense that finished in the top 10 in most key statistical categories last year remains mostly intact.
Payton isn't a sucker. He could have landed almost anywhere in his return to the NFL. He chose the Broncos for a reason, and writers like Ballentine would be wise to remember that.
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