Broncos HC Sean Payton Gets Last Laugh on Critics of Vance Joseph Hire

Nearly three years later, Sean Payton knows he hired the "right guy" in Vance Joseph.

CINCINNATI, OH - DECEMBER 28: Denver Broncos Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph and Denver Broncos Head Coach Sean Payton look on during the NFL, American Football Herren, USA football game between the Denver Broncos and the Cincinnati Bengals on December 28, 2024, at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. | Michael Allio / Imago / Icon Sportswire

Shortly after Sean Payton was hired as head coach of the Denver Broncos, he made the controversial decision to hire Vance Joseph as defensive coordinator. The blowback, of course, came as a result of Joseph only being four years removed from a failed two-year stint as the Broncos' head coach, wherein he won just 11 games.

Two-and-a-half years into his tenure as the defensive coordinator in Denver under Payton, Joseph has more than rehabilitated his NFL image; his success in running the Broncos' defense has placed him in the running as a bona fide head-coaching candidate once again.

"The hiring of your staff is tedious and sometimes—you don’t want to hurry it up and get it done, but making sure you get the right guys is critical," Payton said last week. "Certainly with him, I got the right guy.”

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Failed HC Regime

Dec 30, 2018; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Vance Joseph reacts in the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at Broncos Stadium at Mile High. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

When Payton hired him in January of 2023, Joseph was basically viewed in the market as incompetent, if well-meaning. When the Broncos originally hired Joseph, we heard platitudes from then-GM John Elway that he was a "leader of men" and a sharp football mind.

Unfortunately, Joseph didn't have the benefit of a franchise quarterback during the two years he spent as head coach (2017-18), and the Broncos also struggled to draft well, exacerbating the issues. After he was fired, Joseph took a job as Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator, where he stayed for the ensuing four years before returning to Denver.

Broncos' Defensive Resurgence

Joseph's fingerprints on the Broncos' defense were clear in his first year as defensive coordinator. The Broncos had a stretch where they took the ball away at a sensational clip, and were it not for Russell Wilson's slow-motion disintegration under the withering eye of Payton, the team probably would have made the playoffs.

Last season, the Broncos led the NFL in sacks and finished as a top 10 defense in most of the major statistical categories. It's not easy to lead the league in sacks even once, let alone in back-to-back seasons, but that's where the Broncos currently stand with 10 games of the 2025 campaign in the books.

Joseph presided over the flowering of Patrick Surtain II as the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year — the first Bronco to win the award since Hall-of-Famer Randy Gradishar in 1978. Joseph also extracted the very best from rush linebacker Nik Bonitto, who totaled 13.5 sacks in 2024, earning Pro Bowl and All-Pro accolades.

Tremendous Impact on Broncos' Culture

As well as Surtain and Bonitto, defensive end Zach Allen also garnered All-Pro honors, which is yet another reflection on Joseph. As the 2025 season marches on, it's plain to see that the impressive culture that has the Broncos at 8-2 has been influenced by Joseph in a big way.

As far as Payton sees it, Joseph has had a "tremendous" impact on his team's winning culture. It all started with Payton running into Joseph during his time as a FOX analyst in 2022 — the one year he spent outside of the NFL after resigning from the New Orleans Saints.

“A tremendous [amount]... I’ve always respected Vance," Payton said. "We played Arizona a bunch in the NFC. Ironically, the year that I was out, we covered that Super Bowl, but they had us in Phoenix for the preseason game. The idea was that the season starts here and ends here. So Arizona was playing Baltimore, and I had the chance to visit with him."

Payton has relied on Joseph for a lot since hiring him nearly three years ago. The Broncos hired the right guy — that can't be debated at this point. Payton rolled the dice in the face of some serious PR blowback, and he's reaped the rewards.

"His experience and all of those attributes, I lean on those. We, as a team, benefit greatly from that experience," Payton said of Joseph.