The Denver Broncos finally have found their new head coach, and after much speculation that he would indeed be the guy, they have officially hired Sean Payton to take charge of their team. Payton, who was the longtime head coach of the New Orleans Saints, will now be tasked with reviving a Broncos franchise that is coming off the most disappointing season in the NFL in 2022.
Payton was still technically a member of the Saints, so in addition to the hefty financial compensation he will require, the Broncos also had to trade their 2023 first-round pick and 2024 second-round pick to New Orleans just to land Payton. It's safe to say that Payton is coming into town with some high expectations as a result of this price tag.
Despite Denver being constantly linked to Payton, there were almost certainly other head coach candidates out there that the Broncos could have picked up that wouldn't have cost them even more draft picks after they sent a haul to the Seattle Seahawks last offseason for Russell Wilson. So with that in mind, let's take a look at three coaches the Broncos could have hired other than Payton that wouldn't have cost them more draft picks.
3. Jim Harbaugh
We will throw Jim Harbaugh in here even though the likelihood of him leaving Michigan for the NFL was never truly high. Harbaugh seemed committed to staying at Michigan despite rumors suggesting otherwise, but making a bigger push for Harbaugh likely would have been more beneficial than shelling out everything they did to get Payton.
Harbaugh has spent most of his career coaching in college, but he had an extremely successful stint with the San Francisco 49ers from 2011-2014 that saw them very nearly win Super Bowl XLVII. Harbaugh is a strong coach on both sides of the ball, and considering what we saw from Denver this season, they could certainly have used his expertise in 2022.
It might have taken a lot of work, but the fact that the rumors of Harbaugh potentially joining the Broncos never truly died down indicated that maybe he was there for the taking, contrary to popular belief. It wouldn't have cost the draft picks, and you can make an argument that Harbaugh would have been a better hire than Payton, which is why Denver should have pursued him a bit harder.
2. Mike Kafka
The Broncos never actually interviewed Mike Kafka, but in the buildup to their sudden decision to hire Payton, it seemed like they were doing their research on him and looking at potentially bringing him in for an interview. And after seeing what it took to land Payton, that may have been the smarter decision for Denver.
Kafka is the New York Giants offensive coordinator, and after the Giants successful season under his watch, he's generated a lot of interest as a potential head coach candidate. Despite making no significant upgrades on offense, Kafka managed to find a way to make the Giants offense productive, and it led them all the way to the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
Denver desperately needs someone to come in and fix their offense, and while Payton may be that guy, it's worth noting his tenure with the Saints was made a lot easier on him due to the fact that he had Drew Brees at his disposal for his entire time there. Kafka made things work with Jones; who's to say he couldn't have fixed Wilson? And again, he wouldn't have cost the Broncos more draft picks.
1. DeMeco Ryans
The Broncos reportedly made a huge last second push for DeMeco Ryans, but it apparently was too little, too late. Shortly after the Broncos announced that Payton was going to be their next head coach, Ryans was hired by the Houston Texans, and will be attempting to revitalize their franchise as their fourth head coach in the past four years.
There obviously wasn't much the Broncos could have done to prevent this from happening, but if they locked in on Ryans earlier, this whole dilemma could have been avoided. Ryans proved to be an adept defensive coach with the San Francisco 49ers as their defensive coordinator, and his leadership skills could have helped turn the Broncos franchise around.
Truth be told, Denver will likely benefit more from adding an offensive-minded coach in Payton, but if they wanted Ryans so badly, they should have made their move sooner. Instead, they waited too long, and watched him go to the Texans while they were forced to deal out more draft picks for Payton. It may work out, but this is certainly a huge risk for the Broncos, and it could have been avoided had they targeted Ryans sooner.
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