What Sean Payton Was Willing to Give Up to Hire Joe Brady, Per Insider

This is how bad Sean Payton wanted Joe Brady.

Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady greets players as they take the field before their game against the Bengals at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park on Dec. 7, 2025. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Buffalo Bills hired their former offensive coordinator Joe Brady to become the new head coach. The move in Upstate New York may have seemed fait accompli but it was influenced, in part, by the interest in Brady around the NFL.

According to Ian Rapoport, Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton was interested in bringing Brady in as offensive coordinator, and was perhaps even willing to give him play-calling duties.

"Sean Payton wanted Brady as OC, perhaps even with play-calling. Instead, the Bills make sure he stays," Rapoport posted on X on Tuesday.

If Payton was seriously considering relinquishing play-calling duties to Brady, the Broncos' head coach may have truly coveted him. On the heels of Payton's controversial decision to go for it on 4th-&-1 in the Broncos' loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC championship game, many Broncos fans have called for Payton to give up play-calling duties on offense.

Payton has since said that he doesn't regret going for it on that fateful fourth down; he regrets the play call. This only intensifies the vocal minority in the fan base for Payton to give play-calling duties to someone else.

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Let the Dominoes Fall

Jul 24, 2025; Englewood, CO, USA; Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi (L) and offensive assistant Pete Carmichael (R) during Denver Broncos Training Camp. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Amid Brady's hiring as head coach in Buffalo, the dominoes quickly fell in the Mile High City. With pass game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Davis Webb drawing head-coaching interest from the Bills and Las Vegas Raiders, the Broncos fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi on Tuesday.

The Broncos also parted ways with wide receivers coach Keary Colbert and cornerbacks coach Addison Lynch. The Lombardi firing could have been preemptive to create an opening for Payton to promote Webb to offensive coordinator.

However, before Webb can be installed as offensive coordinator, the Broncos will have to honor the Rooney Rule and interview some diverse candidates for the job. That could play out relatively quickly, as such interviews can be held virtually.

If Webb is promoted to OC, it will be interesting to see if he gets any play-calling opportunities. He called a preseason game last year, and the Broncos' offense looked unstoppable, even with the second-team offense out there.

When it comes to Payton relinquishing play-calling duties, remember, Brady is proven in this arena. His Bills offenses have been among the NFL's best for years and he took it to the Broncos in the divisional round of the playoffs. Webb still hasn't called plays in a regular-season game.

As for Brady, we'll never know what it would have looked like for him in Denver, coaching again under Payton. Nevertheless, Payton is happy for his former protégé to move up in the NFL coaching world. The branches of the Payton coaching tree grow on.

"Joe Brady was named this morning. I hired him right out of college, so [I’m] proud of him, and [I] just spoke to him two days ago," Payton said on Tuesday during his end-of-season presser. "You want to see guys that come in and work, that are part of your staff, you want to see them have success, not the other way around.”

Payton hired Brady as an offensive assistant in New Orleans back in 2017. It was Brady's first NFL coaching gig, lasing two seasons. Brady would move on to LSU, followed by a couple-year stint with the Carolina Panthers, before landing in Buffalo as an assistant, and working his way up to offensive coordinator. And now head coach.

All Eyes on Webb

When it comes to Webb, it's safe to assume that Payton has counseled his new protégé to skip taking the Raiders job and wait for another opportunity in the future. With Bo Nix returning as the Broncos' franchise quarterback and the defense entering 2026 fully intact, Webb's opportunities to be a head coach will be bountiful in the future.

Webb can afford to wait, especially if he ends up being promoted to offensive coordinator in Denver. Payton joked about what it would be like to face a Webb-led Raiders opponent twice per season.

“Well, it would be a pain in the [butt] for him (Laughs),” Payton said.

Call an ambulance... but not for me.

The Broncos have some coaching vacancies now to fill. And with all the NFL head-coaching vacancies filled, except the Raiders and Arizona Cardinals, there's an increasing confidence that Vance Joseph will stick around at least another year as defensive coordinator.

However, Broncos secondary coach Jim Leonhard continues to draw interest around the league. Brady's Bills are the latest team to express interest in Leonhard as defensive coordinator, and the Los Angeles Chargers just threw their hat into the ring, too, per Rapoport.

Leonhard deserves a lot of credit for how well the Broncos' secondary has performed the past two years. But let's be honest: he has also benefited greatly from the Broncos stocking the room with some serious talent via free agency and the draft.

Stay tuned.