Tag: Sean Payton

Nov 30, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (17) takes the field prior to a game against the New Orleans Saints at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Storry-Imagn Images

Broncos’ Sean Payton excited to add ‘explosive’ Jaylen Waddle’s versatility

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton anticipated the question about where he puts new acquisition Jaylen Waddle in the wide receiver pecking order.

“We’re not just going to have, and I know someone’s getting ready to ask me, ‘Is he receiver (No.) 1 or 2?’ So we don’t have (that),” Payton said Tuesday at the NFL’s annual meeting in Phoenix. “We just play different packages and try to give those guys the things that they do well.”

What Waddle does is run really fast, and he stops fast, Payton said, and is a “tremendous route runner” with an expansive route tree.

“The best thing that I think he does is he’s explosive; he’s dynamic,” Payton said. “A lot of times, the guys run fast, but I think he sends his hips in transition. I think you’ll see him play inside in the slot; you’ll see him outside.”

Denver acquired Waddle and a fourth-round pick in next month’s draft from the Miami Dolphins on March 17 in exchange for first-, third- and fourth-round selections.

Waddle, 27, recorded 64 catches for 910 yards and six touchdowns in 16 games (all starts) last season for the rebuilding Dolphins. He is owed $68.6 million over the next three seasons.

He has 373 receptions for 5,039 yards and 26 touchdowns in 78 career games (all starts) since being selected by Miami with the sixth overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft out of Alabama.

Payton said the organization talked to former Alabama coach Nick Saban and others who have worked with Waddle, whose competitive drive “came up time and again.”

“Whenever you get into a big-name free agent or a trade of this magnitude, all the other stuff is important to research,” Payton said. “When it comes to Waddle’s all the other stuff, it was 10, 10, 10, 10, 10. So I think, obviously, it will help us.”

Waddle will give Broncos quarterback Bo Nix another prime target in addition to Courtland Sutton, a two-time Pro Bowl receiver. Sutton led the Broncos in catches (74), receiving yards (1,017) and receiving touchdowns (seven) last season as the team (14-3) won the AFC West and advanced to the conference championship game.

The Broncos’ receivers also include Pat Bryant, Troy Franklin and Marvin Mims Jr.

Waddle said after the trade that he didn’t “think there are No. 1s; everyone is here to make plays and try to win. That’s ultimately the goal for the team and for the organization.”

Payton on Tuesday said that a locker room is welcoming to any player who can help the team and is a good fit.

“I think whenever you are able to bring in someone that is highly competitive, his personality and all of those things (help),” Payton said. “I think the good teams welcome those players because they know it’s another piece and another opportunity to improve your team.”

–Field Level Media

Jul 24, 2025; Englewood, CO, USA; Denver Broncos quarterbacks coach Davis Webb during Denver Broncos Training Camp. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Broncos’ Sean Payton turns play-calling duties over to new OC Davis Webb

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Sean Payton is making a major change to the Denver Broncos’ offense, handing primary play-calling duties to new offensive coordinator Davis Webb for the 2026 season.

It will be the first time in Payton’s head-coaching career that someone else will call the plays full time on game day.

Payton confirmed the move Tuesday at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis after Bills general manager Brandon Beane let it slip earlier in the day while praising Webb, who spent three seasons in Buffalo as a backup quarterback.

The decision represents a striking departure for a head coach who has long been closely connected to his offense, but Payton described it as a move aimed at helping Denver improve, not as a step back from involvement.

“He’s extremely talented,” Payton said of Webb. “With regards to play-calling, it’s something that he’ll be really good at it. Man, it’s like, ‘Would you give up play-calling?’ I would only do that if I felt like it would help our team. I’ll still be involved with what we do offensively, just like what we do defensively. But I do think he has a gift. He’s real sharp.”

Payton added that he began considering handing the duties to Webb, then the quarterbacks coach and pass-game coordinator, during the 2025 season and that he doesn’t play to micromanage Webb’s decisions.

“I think that I want to do everything that I can to support him,” Payton said. “So we’re not going to sit and grade his play-calling each week, at least hopefully we’re not. I think it’s more about the team.”

Webb, 31, was promoted after Joe Lombardi was dismissed following Denver’s 10-7 loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. Webb has climbed quickly on Payton’s staff, moving from QB coach in 2023 and ’24 to offensive coordinator. He previously handled play-calling in a 2025 preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals.

Denver finished 14th in scoring during the regular season (23.6 points per game), and Payton indicated part of the appeal is getting the operation moving faster while keeping the same system in place.

–Field Level Media

Reports: Broncos fire OC Joe Lombardi

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The Denver Broncos fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi on Tuesday, according to multiple media reports. The move happened just two days after the Broncos managed just seven points while coming up short in the AFC Championship Game.

Lombardi, 54, who previously worked for Sean Payton in New Orleans, joined the Broncos head coach in Denver prior to the 2023 season. In 2025, the Broncos finished the regular season 10th among NFL teams in total offense (342.6 yards per game) and 14th in scoring offense (23.6 ppg).

After starting quarterback Bo Nix fractured his ankle late in the divisional round win over the Buffalo Bills — knocking him out for the rest of the season — the Broncos posted a season-low 181 yards in the AFC title game with backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham leading the offense in his first NFL start since the 2023 season.

Lombardi, the grandson of Hall of Fame coach Vince Lombardi, also has worked as offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers (2021-22) and Detroit Lions (2014-15) in addition to his stints on Payton’s staff in New Orleans and Denver.

With Denver’s passing-game coordinator/quarterbacks coach Davis Webb a rising star reportedly in the mix to be the Las Vegas Raiders’ next coach, Lombardi’s dismissal could be a precursor to Payton attempting to retain Webb on his staff by promoting him.

–Field Level Media

Sean Payton: ‘Work begins tonight’ for Broncos without Bo Nix

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One day after the Denver Broncos’ bittersweet victory that advanced them into the AFC Championship Game, head coach Sean Payton remained optimistic for the road ahead.

Following Saturday’s 33-30 overtime victory over the Buffalo Bills, Payton returned to the postgame podium to announce that quarterback Bo Nix had a broken right ankle that would end his season.

When the Broncos take the field Sunday at home for a chance to advance to the Super Bowl, Jarrett Stidham will be at quarterback. Stidham, a former fourth-round draft pick by the New England Patriots in 2019, has not thrown a pass in two seasons and has just four career NFL starts.

The Broncos won’t feel as if they are at a disadvantage over the next week.

“I know how (Patriots offensive coordinator Josh) McDaniels felt about him when he brought him from New England to Vegas (in 2022),” Payton said of Stidham. “Then I know reports on how he played, and then we saw him play real time. But ultimately … it’s our three years here. In our three years, watching him day in and day out that you guys don’t have access to. He will be ready to go and ready for the moment.”

Nix has been the centerpiece of the Broncos’ revival, from just one playoff appearance and no postseason wins in nine seasons to the No. 1 seed in the AFC this season with a 14-3 record. Nix completed 63.4% of his passes for 3,931 yards, 25 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in his second NFL season.

Payton, though, was not about to rule out his team’s chances next weekend, citing multiple examples of backup quarterbacks delivering success.

“Historically speaking, all bets weren’t off with (former Giants QB Jeff) Hostetler,” Payton said. “They weren’t off in Philly (with former Eagles QB Nick Foles). We lost (former Saints QB Drew) Brees midseason against the Rams, and (Buccaneers QB Teddy) Bridgewater won five in a row.

“All bets can be off. They weren’t off for Houston this year when (Davis) Mills came in. I don’t know if he lost a game. … The plan always has to be built around the type and the skill set of the players you’re playing with. So are there certain things that Bo does differently than Stiddy? Absolutely. That’s where the work begins tonight.”

Payton also gave details about how events unfolded when he went to the podium following the victory and then returned later to give the Nix news. He even broke down the final drive when Nix said his ankle was in pain.

“So he actually, technically got hurt on his third-to-last play,” Payton said. “He centers the ball for us, and then as he comes over, I kind of chest bump him, jab him like, ‘Freaking A!’ And he’s like, ‘Careful.’ I’m like, ‘You all right?’ He said, ‘Yes, but it’s hurting.’ I said, ‘What do you got?’ He said, ‘My ankle.’ I said, ‘All right, you’ll be fine,’ and I jabbed him in the chest again. I said, ‘Just enjoy this field goal.’

The joy of the victory was interrupted when Payton returned to his office following his postgame interview session. He said the medical team, along with general manager George Paton, were in his office.

“They didn’t say anything, but I knew there was something,” Payton said. “We always meet after the game and discuss injuries but that was early. They said, ‘Look, there’s a fracture.’ (They) showed me the X-ray. Immediately, I walked down the hall. Bo was kind of sitting outside the locker room, leaning up against the wall. His wife, his parents, family there, I think (Stidham), a few others. I just asked him how he was doing, ‘Are you hanging in there?’”

The Broncos’ confidence in Stidham comes from his work in practice for the past three seasons against defensive coordinator Vance Joseph’s unit.

“One of (Stidham’s) great strengths is his mental aptitude and his progressions in understanding plays,” Payton said. “There’d be practices where I’m looking at Vance, like getting pissed off because Stiddy is making our defense look bad. He’s very accurate. He has a lot to his ball.”

–Field Level Media

Sep 17, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton talks with quarterback Russell Wilson (3) in the fourth quarter against the Washington Commanders at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Broncos’ Sean Payton: Comment not directed at Russell Wilson

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Broncos coach Sean Payton said Wednesday the comment he made after Denver’s wild 33-32 comeback win over the New York Giants was about Jaxson Dart, not a swipe at his former quarterback Russell Wilson.

“Look, the euphoria, the way that game unfolded, that was strictly about Dart,” Payton said. “That was in no way shape or form, anything that was directed at Russ. I might be able to see how he might have perceived that, but coming off that win and watching how [Dart] played, that wasn’t any intention at all.”

He added he understood how Wilson might perceive it differently, but stressed that wasn’t the intention.

After Sunday’s win, Payton praised the Giants’ rookie, saying “they found a little spark with that quarterback” and recounted a recent chat with team owner John Mara: “We were hoping that (quarterback) change would have happened long after our game.”

Wilson, who lost the Giants’ starting job to Dart in Week 4, responded by calling Payton “classless” Tuesday on X.

The exchange revives a tense history. Payton benched Wilson for Denver’s final two games in 2023, and the Broncos released him in March 2024 while absorbing a record $85 million dead-cap charge.

Wilson later stated that the team threatened an in-season benching if he didn’t adjust the injury guarantee in his deal. However, club leadership has maintained that the late-year benching was independent of contract talks.

Wilson, now the Giants’ backup, did not play in Sunday’s thriller. Dart went 15 of 33 for 283 yards with three touchdowns and a late interception as Denver rallied from 19-0 down with 33 fourth-quarter points to win on a walk-off field goal.

For the season, Wilson has completed 58.9% of his passes for 786 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions. He made brief appearances in New York’s wins over the Los Angeles Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles following Dart’s ascension to starter.

–Field Level Media

August 9, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; Denver Broncos guard Ben Powers (74) after the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Broncos starting LG Ben Powers has surgery for torn bicep

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Denver Broncos left guard Ben Powers has surgery to repair a torn left bicep and is expected to miss at least two months, if not longer.

The injury occurred near the end of the Broncos’ 21-17 road win on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles while protecting quarterback Bo Nix as he completed a pass to tight end Adam Trautman.

Head coach Sean Payton confirmed the injury on Wednesday in England, where Denver (3-2) will meet the New York Jets (0-5) on Sunday.

“With a starting player … it’s never any good, but the next guy’s up and we’ll get ready to play him,” Payton told reporters after practice on Wednesday. Powers has been placed in injured reserves with hopes of him returning in December.

Payton did not say who will start at left guard, but it could be Matt Peart, a backup last season who got reps at left guard in training camp.

The 6-foot-4, 310-pound Powers spent his first four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, who selected him in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He joined the Broncos prior to the 2023 season on a four-year, $51.5 million contract and has started all 39 regular-season games since.

Powers, 28, played 99 percent of the offensive snaps in 2024 and 100 percent in the other seasons.

Peart, 28, is a career backup who has appeared in 65 games (nine starts) with the New York Giants (2020-23) and Broncos.

–Field Level Media

Nov 10, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) talks with Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) after the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Broncos’ Sean Payton on blocked FG: ‘They exploited an area’

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While still stewing in disappointment one day later, the Denver Broncos are looking at the blocked field-goal attempt that would have finished off a victory over the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs as a chance to make the team better.

Broncos kicker Wil Lutz lined up for a 35-yard field-goal attempt Sunday as time was set to expire, but the attempt was blocked by the Chiefs’ Leo Chenal, who charged right through the middle of the Denver line.

The undefeated Chiefs escaped with a 16-14 victory, leaving the Broncos at a crossroad with a 5-5 record.

“They exploited an area that we obviously felt was fixed and stronger, but not fixed enough,” Payton said Monday. “I read all the comments afterwards, and I think that it’s tough to lose a game that way. This isn’t on the player. This is on all of us. This is on us as coaches.

“We’ve got to continue to look at, ‘Hey, are we big enough stature-wise there for that?’ And understanding how the rush was coming. It’s disappointing.”

Payton clarified the area that was exploited.

“They felt like they had an indication relative to how (center Alex Forsyth’s) weight was balanced,” Payton said. “All of that is game planning, scouting and then it’s us coaching and looking at the self-scout. Again, it’s nothing new.”

The Broncos are merely third in the AFC West, but with the conference’s muddled postseason picture, Denver is currently in possession of the seventh and final playoff spot. The Broncos are listed with a 51 percent playoff probability.

And while Sunday ended in a heartbreaking defeat, the Broncos can also look at it as a near miss, on the road against an undefeated team that also won the last two Super Bowls.

“The sky is not falling,” Payton said. “There’s a lot ahead obviously.”

Of the seven games still on the schedule, the Broncos face four teams currently out of the AFC’s playoff picture. But they have still have to face the 6-4 Atlanta Falcons on Sunday and finish the regular season with a rematch against the Chiefs. The advantage for Denver is that both of those games are at home.

“I like the leadership on this team. It’s an entirely different team than a year ago,” Payton said. “It’s (a) tough (team) mentally and physically. … Listen, when you talk to the players about that (loss), you tell them, ‘Hey, that’s going to happen periodically in your career.’

“You hope that you have a few of those games that maybe you thought that you didn’t deserve to win that you did win. You have to bounce back either way.”

That optimism is further fueled by the play of rookie quarterback Bo Nix, who has completed 63.6 percent of his passes for 1,968 yards and 10 touchdowns with six interceptions. He also has 290 yards rushing with four more TDs.

“Offensively, we played that team better than we have in the past with what they do,” Payton said. “We had some scoring opportunities certainly at the end of the (first) half that we didn’t take a good enough advantage of.”

–Field Level Media

Oct 17, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton reacts during the fourth quarter against the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Broncos’ Sean Payton irked by turnovers despite comfortable win

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At the halfway mark of the 2024 season, the Denver Broncos sit in a playoff position.

Denver’s 28-14 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday marked its fifth win in the last six games after an 0-2 start. The Broncos sit second in the AFC West and currently hold a wild-card position.

But coach Sean Payton was far from satisfied with the Broncos’ play against Carolina, particularly in the turnover department. While rookie quarterback Bo Nix remained interception-free for the fifth time in six weeks, the Broncos lost two fumbles, including one on the opening drive of the game.

“Here’s the thing, we can’t turn the ball over the way we did offensively,” Payton said Monday. “We can’t fumble on the first drive, (and) we can’t fumble later in the game. I put up some numbers for these guys just to see where we’re at relative to the season and relative to history. It’s not the perfect game we’re searching for, but it’s the game that we know when played with bigger stakes against a better team, it’ll cost you.”

More mistakes like that, Payton warned, and the Broncos will be cleaning out their lockers the day after the regular season ends, with no trip to the playoffs.

“We have to be better at that. The turnovers bothered me,” Payton said. “The late drive and how we played defensively bothered me. Look, I just think, ‘What’s the bar? What’s the expectation?’ It has to meet or exceed mine.”

The fumble culprits Sunday were receivers Lil’Jordan Humphrey and Courtland Sutton. Humphrey had the ball jarred loose after catching a pass on the third play from scrimmage. Sutton fumbled afer a reception near the goal line with 2:13 left to play, setting the Panthers up for a 98-yard scoring drive that cut the deficit from 21 to 14 points. Shy Tuttle recovered both fumbles for Carolina.

Payton was asked if his team has been forming a personality with an edge to it, and he replied that he’d rather the Broncos take on “a winning personality.” But it wasn’t all doom and gloom from the veteran coach, who won Super Bowl XLIV with the New Orleans Saints.

“I’m pleased with our younger players that are getting to play,” Payton said. “We have a young group and a young team. We have some veterans mixed in. We just have to continue. Much the same as we’re developing the quarterback — which obviously gets a lot of the attention — we have to be developing these other younger players just as well.”

A pair of big road games lie ahead: at the Baltimore Ravens, who are tied with Denver at 5-3, and the Kansas City Chiefs, the undefeated division leaders.

–Field Level Media

Sep 29, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton looks on from the sidelines during the game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

Broncos coach Sean Payton expecting emotional return to New Orleans

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Neither Sean Payton’s former team nor his current one is having the kind of success he generally is accustomed to.

Payton and his Denver Broncos visit the New Orleans Saints, who Payton coached to nine playoff appearances and a Super Bowl title during his 15-season tenure, on Thursday night.

Both teams are coming off losses. The Broncos (3-3) lost to the visiting Los Angeles Chargers 23-16 last Sunday, ending a three-game winning streak. The Saints (2-4) fell to the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 51-27, their fourth consecutive loss under Dennis Allen, Payton’s former defensive coordinator who was promoted when Payton resigned after the 2021 season.

Regardless of the teams’ records, this game was always going to be primarily about Payton’s return to New Orleans, where he arrived in 2006 as a well-regarded offensive assistant but untested head coach as the city was recovering from Hurricane Katrina.

“It will be unique,” Payton said. “Certainly, there will be emotions going back there, but I do think that comes up quite a bit in our league with players and, in this case, certainly the amount of time I was there.”

Payton said he understands that the Saints fans probably won’t have “a lot of flowers and warm fuzzies for yours truly,” which they certainly will have at halftime when former quarterback Drew Brees is recognized for his induction into the Saints Hall of Fame earlier in the day.

Brees signed with the Saints as a free agent shortly after Payton was hired and went on to become one of the most prolific passers in NFL history before retiring a year before Payton resigned.

Payton is in his second season with the Broncos, who finished 8-9 last season, and he’s trying to show that he can adapt the offense within which Brees thrived to fit rookie No. 1 draft choice Bo Nix. But Nix has the 34th-highest passer rating (73.7) and is 23rd in total yards (1,082) in the NFL.

Most of Denver’s success so far has been because of its defense, which is ranked fourth in points per game (16) and yards per game (284.3).

Allen’s defense, meanwhile, has slipped to last in average yards (395.8) and 23rd in points allowed (24.5).

“(Payton) does a really good job with the offense — a lot of different personnel groups, a lot of different formations,” Allen said of his former boss. “And he does a really good job of identifying areas of weakness that he wants to try to attack.”

The Saints are less concerned about who’s coaching the opponent than they are about trying to end their losing streak as they complete a stretch of three games in 11 days.

“He’s going to be fired up,” New Orleans defensive end Cam Jordan said. “Everybody in this building knows who Sean Payton is, and if he sees blood in the water, he’s going to try and take advantage. We’re not helping to deter that at this point.”

Rookie fifth-round draft choice Spencer Rattler will make his second consecutive start in place of injured quarterback Derek Carr.

Rattler was good enough to rally his team from an early 17-0 deficit to a 27-24 halftime lead last week, but not good enough to prevent it from being shut out in the second half.

Carr (oblique) was one of five New Orleans starters who were listed as not participating after both teams held walkthroughs Tuesday. The others were wide receivers Chris Olave (concussion) and Rashid Shaheed (knee), guard Cesar Ruiz (knee) and linebacker Pete Werner (hamstring). One Denver starter, cornerback Pat Surtain II, is in the league’s concussion protocol and did not participate.

–Field Level Media

NFL Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton

Trade offers for Broncos WR Courtland Sutton ‘insignificant’

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Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton said that trade rumors surrounding Courtland Sutton were “insignificant” following reports that the wide receiver was involved in a recent deal proposed by the San Francisco 49ers.

ESPN reported that San Francisco had offered Denver a third-round pick to acquire Sutton, who in July agreed to a restructured contract with the Broncos worth up to $15.2 million this season.

“I’m going to say in the last three months, there have been multiple teams call about Courtland,” Payton told reporters Monday. “… It’s a little bit of a stretch relative to the specifics. I read the same thing you read, and I would say we didn’t get nearly as far down the road as what may have been reported.

“… For me to comment on every call that comes in to (general manager) George (Paton) or myself would be ludicrous.”

Sutton has been a trade target in recent years. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Los Angeles Rams showed interest earlier this year after Denver rejected an offer from the Baltimore Ravens during the 2023 offseason.

Sutton, 28, has 298 receptions for 4,259 yards and 24 touchdowns over six NFL seasons, all with the Broncos. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 2019 and had a career-high 10 TD catches last season.

–Field Level Media