Broncos General Manager Reveals Real Feelings on Sean Payton

After a year out of the game following a long spell with the New Orleans Saints, Sean Payton returned to the NFL as the head coach of the Denver Broncos ahead of the 2023 season. The Broncos needed rebuilding after finishing 5-12 in 2022, and in two seasons, Payton has quickly turned the team into one of the strongest in the NFL.

Under Payton, the Broncos made the playoffs for the first time since 2015 in 2024, finishing with a 10-7 record before losing to the Buffalo Bills in the Wildcard Round. Despite the early exit, the Broncos had a successful season in 2024, with first-round quarterback Bo Nix showing particular promise.

All of Payton’s hard work and everything that he brings to the franchise haven’t gone unnoticed. According to BroncosWire’s Jon Heath, the Broncos’ General Manager, George Paton, revealed his true feelings on Sean Payton and the “secret sauce” that makes him one of the best coaches in the NFL, with Heath writing this:

“It was outstanding,” Broncos general manager George Paton said of the job Payton did following the 2024 season. “Just a tremendous job leading this team, instilling a mindset, a culture. I think when he came in the building there was a confidence level. So that’s Sean’s secret sauce.”

That should come as no shock. Payton is a Super Bowl-winning head coach with 11 winning seasons under his belt in 17 seasons as a head coach, and his offenses are routinely among the best in the NFL. His ability to take players and elevate them to another level is arguably the best in the game.

Heath went on to finish Paton’s quote. “We had some stretches. We started the season 0-2. Everyone thought we were done, then we win three in a row. Him being able to get that out of our team... We had a stretch. Kansas City, we missed the field goal. It’s really tough for a coach to go in the locker room after a game like that and Sean in about three minutes galvanized the team, and we won four in a row. He’s done an incredible job. He’s an incredible leader. Obviously, a bright football mind, and we’re very lucky to have him.”

Paton and Payton were hired two years apart, with the general manager joining the team in 2021, before he hired Payton two seasons later, and from that quote, it’s easy to get a sense of how Paton feels about Payton. He knows the Broncos have an elite head coach capable of taking a team to the Super Bowl.