Sean Payton wanted the Broncos to hire Bill Belichick as head coach

On Tuesday, ESPN dropped a fascinating, behind-the-scenes look at Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos. The story follows the team during their playoff run last January, providing a rarely scene glimpse backstage of an NFL team, especially during the pressure-packed part of the season.

The story is filled with great moments, things that show how Payton is wired, what makes him tick and why he’s had so much success in the NFL. It’s definitely a must-read for anyone in Broncos Country.

One of the biggest eye-opening items in the piece involved one of the best head coaches in league history. It was an outside-the-box idea that Payton had when he first came to Denver.

“Payton and (Bill) Belichick go back decades, forged by mutual respect — and mutual trauma from working under (Bill) Parcells. When Belichick and the Patriots divorced in 2024, Payton considered presenting Broncos owner Greg Penner a proposal for the ages: Hire Belichick as head coach until he reached 15 wins, enough to break Don Shula’s career record of 347. Payton would temporarily step down to assistant head coach and run the offense, then move back after Belichick became the all-time leader. In the end, it was too complicated — and maybe too fanciful.”

That’s certainly one word for it. Payton wanted the Broncos to hire the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach, while he waited in the wings, serving as an assistant. That would’ve put two future Hall of Famers on the sidelines for the 2024 season and perhaps beyond, just one year into Payton’s tenure in the Mile High City.

It would’ve been an unprecedented move. And it would’ve been fascinating to watch?

Would it have worked? No one will ever know. But the idea says a lot about Payton.

He’s loyal, wanting to do right by a coach that he respects. He’s creative, looking at doing something that would’ve been groundbreaking. And he’s humbler than most thought, willing to ride shotgun while Belichick served as the Broncos head coach.

It’s a shocking little nugget of information. Prior to Tuesday, it’s something few outside of the Broncos inner circle knew anything about.