Sean Payton Explains Weird Incentive to Broncos Being on Hard Knocks
The Denver Broncos have been living a hard-knock life ever since Hall-of-Fame quarterback Peyton Manning retired in 2016. Since Manning rode off into the sunset, the Broncos have posted eight consecutive seasons without a playoff berth — unprecedented for a team hot on the heels of winning a Super Bowl.
The Broncos have paid a steep price for winning Super Bowl 50, no doubt. The team's continued descent into football purgatory has led to the Broncos becoming a bonafide candidate for HBO's hit NFL docu-drama Hard Knocks.
The Broncos have joined the Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints as candidates for Hard Knocks, and the NFL could mandate Denver star in the 2024 show due to its long-standing playoff drought.
Many NFL head coaches recoil at the notion of opening up their operation to the glaring eye of 24/7 cameras to be broadcast to the world. However, if it comes to that, Broncos head coach Sean Payton has previously stated that if his team is forced to star on Hard Knocks, it would at least give him the opportunity to dispel some of the myths surrounding his reputation, especially amid the blowback criticism he's received for benching Russell Wilson.
"I think it's part of the deal, and I understand it. I get it. It's the only thing that makes me once in a while want to do 'Hard Knocks,'" Payton said back in late December. "Because there's a perception. That would be the only reason to get an inside (look) as to this whole 'old school' approach. Shoot, you don't do this (for) this long if you're not adjusting, funny, creative—all of those things. I think that I am all of those things."
Payton flashing his million-dollar smile for the cameras would only happen if no other team accepted the opportunity and the NFL forced Denver's hand. All things being equal, the hit show's producers might well jump at the chance to catch up with Payton and chronicle the beginning stages of his quest to vanquish the Broncos' depressing playoff slump.
The Broncos have never been the subject of a season of Hard Knocks, since the show's inception back in 2001. But Denver's ongoing era of living in the NFL doldrums is unprecedented for the team, which is why it's dangerously close to being strong-armed into doing the show.
However, on account of the Bears' high likelihood to use their No. 1 overall selection on USC quarterback Caleb Williams, the Broncos might ultimately still get squeezed out of contention. Broncos fans getting the chance to peel back the curtain would surely be a delight, especially if Wilson returns to the fold in 2024 to fight for his job in training camp.
With two-plus decades of NFL coaching experience and a year spent at FOX Sports, Payton has plenty of experience being around cameras and productions. Perhaps he could make that work for the Broncos, and his public image.
Stay tuned.
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