Patriots WR Did Not Appreciate Sean Payton's 'Two Weeks' Comment

The AFC championship fireworks have already begun.

Jan 18, 2026; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte (9) celebrates a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Houston Texans in an AFC Divisional Round game at Gillette Stadium. | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

On Wednesday, Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton turned some heads with his message to the denizens of Empower Field at Mile High. Once again, Payton implored Broncos Country to amp up the noise and be rowdy from the time that Drake Maye and the New England Patriots enter the huddle to when the ball is snapped.

After this AFC championship game, though, Payton said that Broncos fans will enjoy a nice two-week rest period. What happens two weeks from Sunday's game? Super Bowl 60.

"They're going to have plenty of rest after this one," Payton said of Broncos fans. "Two weeks."

Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte hadn't heard what Payton said, until a member of the Boston press brought it to his attention. Boutte's response?

"They can rest in Cancun, too, at the end of the day," Boutte said via Kevin Moore of NBC10. "Hey, it is what it is."

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A Method to Payton's Madness

DENVER, CO - JANUARY 17: Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton greets players as they warm up before the AFC Divisional Round game against the Buffalo Bills at Empower Field at Mile High on January 17, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. | Dustin Bradford / IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

At the risk of giving the Patriots some bulletin-board material, Payton is erring on the side of firing up Broncos Country and his team. The Mile High Faithful will be in their throngs, doing their part to make the football environment as hostile as possible for Maye, Boutte, and the Patriots.

With Bo Nix going down with a season-ending ankle injury, the Broncos opened up as heavy home underdogs vs. New England. The spread opened at -5.5 for the Patriots, but it has since narrowed to -4.5. That's a historically wide spread for a home team in a conference title game.

The oddsmakers might view this matchup differently if Nix were playing, but with Jarrett Stidham taking the reins, the Broncos will once again embrace the home-dog mindset. That's nothing new this season; the Broncos opened last week's divisional round matchup as 1.5-point home underdogs to the Buffalo Bills, though that spread flipped by gameday, and it was a relatively common occurrence during the regular season.

Payton has sounded supremely confident all week, the Nix injury notwithstanding. Stidham has Payton's full faith and belief, and the go-ahead to "let it rip" on Sunday. Payton even used the word "elite" when describing Stidham's knowledge of the playbook and poise.

“He’s going to rip it, and that will be our approach," Payton said of Stidham on Wednesday. "He has this calm demeanor that I think suits him well. He’s played in big games, college. I said this at the start of the season, I felt like our [No.] 2 was inside the best 32 [quarterbacks], and I think everyone feels that way."

Signing Stidham was one of Payton's first free-agent moves as head coach of the Broncos back in 2023. Stidham has since re-upped with the Broncos, keeping him in Denver through the 2026 season.

Infectious Vibes

Payton's confidence is infectious. It has helped calm the nerves of a fan base that had to go from the emotions of peak triumph to utter desolation in the matter of 45 minutes when the Nix news broke following the Broncos' wild 33-30 win over the Bills on Saturday.

In a very real sense, the Broncos' head coach is playing with house money. Very few people outside of Denver expect the Broncos to win this game without Nix, even though they're at home.

If the Broncos lose to the Patriots, this season will still be viewed as a romping success. Payton will get his flowers for leading the Broncos to their first AFC West crown, No. 1 conference seed, and playoff win in a decade, all with a second-year quarterback.

The offseason conversation would center around the Broncos having finally found their franchise quarterback in Nix, and how this team is just getting started. The focus would turn to making a few roster tweaks through free agency and the draft to bolster the Broncos' position as a new powerhouse in the AFC.

Fans would still be disappointed by a loss, and Payton and the Broncos most certainly would be, too, but the perception would not be critical. It would be the opposite: complimentary — even celebratory.

Now, make no mistake: Payton has no intention of losing this game, as evidenced by his "two weeks" comment and everything else he's said since last Saturday night. The Patriots are going to get the Broncos' best shot.

It will be interesting to see how the Broncos perform with Stidham at the helm on the heels of hearing all week that they have no chance at winning. Again, narratives that play into Payton's capable hands.

Expect an inspired performance from the Broncos, come what may.