NFL Head Coaching Predictions: Sean Payton Heads to AFC, Texans Reunite with a Familiar Face

Here it is, folks! The moment you’ve all been waiting for! The winner of the Sean Payton sweepstakes: the Denver Broncos.

Recently, it seems like Denver is the place that Sean Payton would like to go, from the options open this cycle, anyway. Russell Wilson would surely love to have Payton come in and help turn things around for him in Denver. Oh, and the fact that the owners of the Broncos are the richest in the league makes the salary request from Payton pretty much a non-factor.

There is no question that Payton knows how to win in the NFL. He succeeded with Drew Brees, even later in his career. With Russell Wilson, he will have a similar opportunity. The Broncos need to take a big swing this year to do everything they can to ensure that their trade a season ago was not one of the worst in NFL history.

For the second year in a row, the Broncos are searching for a head coach. This year, they can’t afford to get it wrong (even with all the cashflow that ownership can provide). The team is in a very tough division and must do everything they can to keep pace.

It really hurts to give up so much draft capital for a second year in a row, but Denver must hope that this “proven commodity” shows some more immediate returns than its last investment, and can elevate him and the entire organization to where they want to be.

My Broncos Pick: Dan Quinn, Defensive Coordinator, Dallas Cowboys

If it was me, I would not trade a first-round pick for Sean Payton. Sure, he is a great coach who can likely help turn a team around, but is he a first-round pick better than all of these other candidates? I find it hard to say yes.

Sure, we have seen teams go all-in to a “win-now” mode, giving up nearly all of their valuable draft capital to capture the moment in a swing of success to win a Super Bowl. But is this roster a head coach away from a championship? I don’t think so. I think bringing in another experienced head coach who can help develop a young and blossoming defense, while holding onto your (well, the 49ers’) first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, would be a much smarter decision.

Dan Quinn has done an incredible job with the Cowboys defense since starting in Dallas. They have played at an incredibly high level, and taking over another impressive, young defense in Denver, I am confident that he can have similar success. With his head coaching experience and as long as he has been in the league, he could surely find an offensive coordinator to Russell Wilson’s liking and will be able to coach the entire team, not just Wilson, to success.