He is blunt. Like Frank.
Sean Payton became “Chairman of the Bored” when he took over a Broncos franchise battered, beaten and embarrassed. Under Nathaniel Hackett’s 15-game watch of fans counting down the play clock, a player cursing out his quarterback, and teammates shoving one another on the sidelines and punching opponents, the sheer disconnect was comedic and horrifying.
Three seasons later, something just as frightening exists.
What began on a smoldering day in July with construction cranes and temporary stands can end in one place, and only one place, for this season to truly be a success.
The Super Bowl. No. 60. A 10-year reunion at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.
This is not my expectation. This is Payton’s. He became Frank Sinatra this summer, telling every national reporter how much he loved this team and Bo Nix, and that the Broncos were back. And may I say, not in a shy way.
On Wednesday, he disputed my characterization of his confidence.
“My chest isn’t puffed out,” Payton said. “I just think this team is further along than what it was two years ago. Two years ago, quite honestly, we weren’t near where we are now. This came in the very beginning, I said our goals obviously start with winning the division. Best seed possible, play for a Super Bowl. I think that’s where your mind has to be if you plan on winning one of those. You don’t just arrive in Week 8 and say, ‘We’re on a roll. We might win this thing.’ ”
Totally agree. So don’t get cold feet now, coach. You waded into these waters with alligators. Time to turn them into an appetizer or a pair of boots.
On the first day of training camp, Payton said what every coach worth his whistle believes, but few vocalize. That his third Broncos team should envision playing on the second Sunday in February.
“I think it’s the (players’) expectations as well,” Payton said, before catching himself. “Obviously, Kansas City is the team that has sat on top of this division. They’re awfully good, and they’ve been very consistent.”
Nobody wants to hear about the Chiefs’ nine-year run of AFC West titles, their three Super Bowl rings or Taylor Swift’s engagement diamond.
Payton put it out there. The Broncos are capable of winning a Super Bowl. Finally, a Broncos coach with the resume and onions to talk about goals that don’t come with Capri Suns and participation ribbons.
Payton wants to win another championship because he’s good at this — and, you know, no coach has ever pulled it off with an NFC and AFC team. There are feathers in caps. And there are ostrich wings. Win a Super Bowl in Denver, and Payton’s career ends in Canton. Bountygate or not.
We can all agree that just qualifying for the playoffs would be a regression. Winning a single postseason game would satisfy my ceiling for this team. But not Payton. He wants more.
This is not harsh. It is fair — when providing context.
Payton does not do patient. He did not take the Broncos job with a 10-year plan. He understands what is at stake. The Broncos upgraded four key positions — tight end, running back, safety and linebacker, though Dre Greenlaw’s health is becoming a daily concern — and expect nothing less than a deep run.
Payton’s belief is ambitious. And not entirely unrealistic.
He opened the Broncos’ Super Bowl window because he has a promising quarterback in his second season. For eight years, the Broncos have been waiting to boast enough talent to truly have these conversations.
Tomorrow has arrived.
Since 2012, under the current collective bargaining agreement rules, seven quarterbacks have reached the Super Bowl on rookie contracts. Two won championships: Russell Wilson in 2013 and Patrick Mahomes in 2019.
Once a team pays a quarterback top money, he must be elite to get to the big game. On a rookie deal, there is support and room to make moves. Nix has three more seasons on his $18.6 million deal with a fifth-year club option. Eleven quarterbacks enter this season making an average of at least $51 million per season.
Of course, Payton is mindful of this. The clock is ticking.
Whether some of us believe the Broncos are a year away doesn’t matter. Payton sees things differently.
Maybe that’s because the top of the masthead has become a three-headed monster with co-owner Greg Penner managing volatility, Paton providing data-driven practicality and Payton setting the culture.
Hope is like second-hand smoke, leaking into every vent in Broncos headquarters.
The players, of course, are on board.
“It’s really important to have a coach that believes in his team,” Nix said.
“It gives us a lot of confidence when you hear that from your head man,” added All-Pro cornerback Pat Surtain II.
But this burden could burn them.
So much is riding on Payton being right.
The Broncos gambled that he knows running backs like he knows quarterbacks (taking R.J. Harvey instead of Omarion Hampton or TreVeyon Henderson might bite them). And that health and performance guru Beau Lowery will keep their free-agent signings from becoming a spin-off of “Grey’s Anatomy.”
This is the Broncos’ best roster since 2016. They have progressed from 6-11 to 8-9, to playing meaningful games in December, to ending an eight-year postseason drought last season.
The next obvious step is a playoff victory. Payton is aiming higher. As the season starts Sunday, the pressure is no longer elsewhere. It is in Denver.
To be Frank, Payton does things his way, and this is just the way he likes it.
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