New Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton is about to start his new gig after 15 years leading the New Orleans Saints. Ahead of the Broncos' Week 1 clash against the Las Vegas Raiders, the coach revealed why he stepped away from the Saints.
In a wide-ranging ESPN profile by Seth Wickersham, Sean Payton talks about his time with the Saints, which included a Super Bowl win and a year-long suspension for Bountygate. Payton told Wickersham that in his final four years with the Saints, his team was one of the three most penalized teams each season.
For that, he blames NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, saying, “I think it starts with Roger.” Overall, though, the coach was just burnt out after a decade and a half at the helm of the same franchise.
“I got tired,” Payton says. “There was a feeling, I would say on my part, of losing the jump balls in this game. You know? Success or lack of success with the Saints is a blip on the NFL.”
Payton walked away with an excellent 152-89 regular season record and a 9-8 playoff mark. He took a season off after finishing his time in New Orleans and worked as a broadcaster before the new owners of the Broncos, the Walton-Penner family, convinced him to return to the NFL
Sean Payton is now back and looking to turn the Broncos — and quarterback Russell Wilson — around after a disappointing 5-12 record last season. Denver opens its 2023 campaign with the Raiders before facing the Washington Commanders and Miami Dolphins to open the season. The Saints and longtime Payton disciple Dennis Allen open with Tennessee Titans, Carolina Panthers, and Green Bay Packers.
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