Joe Vitt Reunites With Sean Payton In Denver
Sean Payton is making family reunions in Denver a new trend by adding Joe Vitt to his staff. The former New Orleans Saints assistant coach is reuniting with Payton in Denver. Mike Klis of 9NEWS broke the news of Vitt's return to the NFL as the Broncos' senior defensive coach.
Vitt, 68, returns to the sidelines alongside Payton as he did from 2006 to 2016 while coaching the Saints linebackers and later serving as an assistant head coach. Payton viewed him as a trusted advisor during the team's Super Bowl 44 championship run. The Saints' linebacking corps struggled for a few years before Payton decided to make an assistant coach change in 2016, ending Vitt's time in New Orleans.
Shortly after accepting the Broncos' head coaching position, Sean Payton hired the Saints' former special teams coach Mike Westhoff to become a special teams specialist and assistant head coach.
Joe Vitt served a six-game suspension by the NFL for his perceived role in the Bountygate scandal in New Orleans. Sean Payton received the stiffest penalty from Roger Goodell, forcing him to miss the 2012 season.
After leaving New Orleans, the longtime coach became a consultant for the Miami Dolphins and the organization's senior director of football and player development. His most recent coaching stint was as the outside linebackers coach under head coach Adam Gase at the New York Jets from 2019-2020.
