As the Broncos welcome the 20th head coach in franchise history, get to know more about Sean Payton, starting with his historic tenure with the Saints and going back to his college days:
1. He led the Saints to an unprecedented run of success and Super Bowl XLIV
Before Payton joined New Orleans in 2006, the Saints organization had not seen much success. It took 21 years before a Saints team finished a season with a winning record and another 13 years until they won a playoff game. From 1967 through 2005, New Orleans won its division just twice. But after he joined the team — along with a new free-agent quarterback he helped lure in Drew Brees — the team found success early and often. The Saints won seven division titles, nine playoff games and Super Bowl XLIV, as they toppled the Colts to cap the 2009 season. In short, Payton energized a long-suffering franchise and took it to new heights.
2. High-powered offense has been Payton's calling card
From 2006 through 2021, the Saints were the NFC's top-scoring team with 27.6 points per game. Across the entire league, only the Patriots scored more points during that time. New Orleans finished six seasons with the top total offense, including in Payton's first season in 2006. The previous year, the Saints ranked 20th in that statistic. Brees' skills and how much he threw the ball were a major factor, as New Orleans attempted more passes during Payton's tenure than any other team. But even from 2017 through 2020, when the Saints ranked in the bottom half of the league in pass attempts, New Orleans ranked in the top five in scoring in each of those seasons. As Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said in 2021, speed is also a big part of why Payton's offense operates so well.
"They operate very quickly. They're on and off the field. They're in that little huddle," said Belichick. "They're up to the line and the ball's snapped, and if you take time to break it all down, you can sort of figure out, 'Yeah, well, this is why he's in this set, and that's why he's doing this and that, and that's what this guy does well, and that's where he's got in there,' but it's hard to do it during the game because it happens so fast, and then as soon as that play is over, he's got somebody else in there and a whole other set of personnel, formations, motion, ball snap, and so it's hard to stay ahead of Sean just because he operates so quickly with so many variables."
Relive new Broncos head coach Sean Payton's NFL coaching career though these photos.
Offensive coordinator Sean Payton of the New York Giants checks the scoreboard Jan. 14, 2001 during play against the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC championship game in East Rutherford, NJ. (Al Messerschmidt via AP)
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Drew Bledsoe talks with coach Sean Payton during an NFL football game against the St. Louis Rams Sunday, Jan. 1, 2006, in Irving, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
New Orleans Saints and former San Diego quarterback Drew Brees, center, holds a Saints jersey presented to him by General Manager Mickey Loomis, right, as Saints coach Sean Payton looks on at news conference at the New Orleans Saints training facility in Metairie, La. Wednesday March 15, 2006. Brees a free agent from the San Diego Chargers football team signed a new contract with the New Orleans Saints. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)
President Bush and first lady Laura Bush meet with New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton as New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees looks on in New Orleans Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2006. The New Orleans Saints met with President Bush at the airport for a team photo. (AP Photo/Judi Bottoni)
New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson, left, hugs coach Sean Payton after their football game with Atlanta Falcons at the newly re-opened Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans on Monday, Sept. 25, 2006. The Saints won 23-3.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton reacts at the end of a 27-24 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC divisional playoff football game at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Saturday, Jan. 13, 2007. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Sean Payton, head coach of the New Orleans Saints, poses with his trophy after being awarded the NFL Coach of the Year award Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2007 in Miami Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
New Orleans Saints Coach Sean Payton takes April Williams 2, from Shreveport, La., and gives her a kiss after their NFL football game with the Arizona Cardinals in New Orleans Sunday, Dec. 16, 2007. Saints won 31-24. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton shakes hands with running back Reggie Bush after his touchdown in the second half of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Superdome in New Orleans on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2008. The Saints won 24-20. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton talks with quarterback Drew Brees (9) in the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009. (AP Photo/BillHaber)
New Orleans Saints' head coach Sean Payton looks over his playbook during the second quarter of an NFL football game St. Louis Rams Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)
Coach Sean Payton of the New Orleans Saints greets quarterback Tony Romo (9) against the Dallas Cowboys on December 19, 2009 at Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Al Messerschmidt via AP)
New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton hugs a player after defeating the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Jan. 24, 2010. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton and owner Tom Benson celebrate the Saints winning the NFC Championship football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, January 24, 2010. The Saints won the game in overtime, 31-28. (AP Photo/Paul Abell)
FT. LAUDERDALE - FEBRUARY 8: Head coach Sean Payton of the New Orleans Saints holds the Vince Lombardi Trophy as he addresses the media during the Super Bowl Champion Coach Press Conference in the NFL Media Center at the Greater Ft. Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center on February 8, 2010 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. (AP Photo/Scott Boehm)
FT. LAUDERDALE - FEBRUARY 8: (Left to Right) Head coach Sean Payton, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and quarterback Drew Brees #9 of the New Orleans Saints poses for a photo with the Vince Lombardi and Pete Rozelle Trophies before the Super Bowl Champion Coach Press Conference in the NFL Media Center at the Greater Ft. Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center on February 8, 2010 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. (AP Photo/Scott Boehm)
New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton answers a question during a news conference Friday, Feb. 5, 2010 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The New Orleans Saints will play the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV Sunday, Feb. 7, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
FOR USE AS DESIRED, YEAR END PHOTOS FILE -In this Feb. 7, 2010 file photo, New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton gets doused with Gatorade after winning the NFL Super Bowl XLIV football game against the Indianapolis Colts in Miami. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)
New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton celebrates after the NFL Super Bowl XLIV football game against the Indianapolis Colts in Miami, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2010. The Saints won 31-17. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton, center top, reacts after the NFL Super Bowl XLIV football game against the Indianapolis Colts in Miami, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2010. The Saints beat the Colts 31-17. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton holds up a newspaper proclaiming the team World Champions after their 31-17 win over the Indianapolis Colts in the NFL Super Bowl XLIV football game in Miami, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2010. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
FILE - In this file taken Feb. 7, 2010, New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton, left, celebrates after winning the NFL Super Bowl XLIV football game in Miami. The Saints won 31-17. Payton confirmed Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2011, that he buying a house in Dallas and is moving his wife and two children to Texas while he remains the Saints' head coach. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)
New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton gets a hug after the NFL Super Bowl XLIV football game against the Indianapolis Colts in Miami, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2010. The Saints won 31-17. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton holds up the Vince Lombardi Trophy as he leaves the airport Monday, Feb. 8, 2010, in Kenner, La., after the Saints returned from the NFL football Super Bowl. The Saints defeated the Indianapolis Colts 31-17, attaining their first championship in franchise history. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton celebrates winning Super Bowl XLIV at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. on Feb. 7, 2010. The Saints defeated the Colts 31-17. (AP Photos/Ben Liebenberg)
New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton, right, and running back Reggie Bush, left, visit the International Bird Rescue Research Center in Tuesday, June 8, 2010 in Buras, La.. The Saints made a visit to the to the area to boost moral and visit the area. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
New Orleans Saints football head coach Sean Payton accepts the award for best team at the ESPY Awards on Wednesday, July 14, 2010 in Los Angeles. (AP Photos/Chris Pizzello)
New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton helps Feed the Children distribute food to families affected by the BP oil spill in Venice, La., Tuesday, July 27, 2010. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Members of the 2009 Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints NFL football team, including, front row, from left, part owner Rita Benson LeBlanc, and coach Sean Payton, watch as Marine One, carrying President Barack Obama, takes off from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Monday, Aug. 9, 2010, after a ceremony in the East Room where the president honored the Super Bowl champs. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
President Barack Obama greets head coach Sean Payton, left, as Drew Brees, center, and New Orleans Saints part owner Rita Benson LeBlanc, right, looks on as hhe honors the 2009 Super Bowl NFL Football Champions New Orleans Saints during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, Aug. 9, 2010. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton look on during a joint football practice in Foxborough, Mass. Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2010. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)
New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton, right, talks with Houston Texans coach Gary Kubiak at the end of an NFL preseason football game in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Saturday, Aug. 21, 2010. The Saints defeated the Texas 38-20. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)
New Orleans coach Sean Payton watches from the sidelines during the first half of their preseason NFL football game agains the San Diego Charger at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans Friday, Aug. 27, 2010. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)
New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton greets Marques Colston prior to an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals Sunday, Oct. 10, 2010, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Paul Connors)
New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton shakes an opponent's hand after an NFL preseason football game against the Tennessee Titans at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Thursday, Sept. 1, 2011. (AP Photo/Bill Feig)
New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton smiles as he talks with defensive end Will Smith (91) and middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma (51) and other defenders during the first half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Jacksonville, Florida, Sunday, October 2, 2011. The Saints won, 23-10. (AP Photo/Paul Abell)
New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton on the sidelines during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game between the New Orleans Saints and the New York Giants in New Orleans, Monday, Nov. 28, 2011. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)
New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton can only watch as the last few seconds wind away during an NFL divisional playoff football game against the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012, in San Francisco. The 49ers won the game, 36-32. (AP Photo/Greg Trott)
New Orleans head coach Sean Payton shakes hands with San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith on the field before an NFL divisional playoff football game at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012. (AP Photo/Ben Liebenberg)
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) talks to head coach Sean Payton during training camp at their NFL football training facility in Metairie, La., Friday, July 26, 2013. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton walks on the feld before an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals in New Orleans, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2013. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)
New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton talks to players on the bench in the first half of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in New Orleans, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2013. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)
New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton signs autographs for fans during their NFL football training camp in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., Saturday, Aug. 2, 2014. (AP Photo/Chris Tilley)
New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton throws a red challenge flag in the first half of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens in New Orleans, Monday, Nov. 24, 2014. (AP Photo/Jonathan Bachman)
New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton talks to quarterback Drew Brees before a preseason NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers Thursday, Sept. 3, 2015, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)
Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett (left) talks with New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton (right) before an NFL game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, Sunday, October 4, 2015. The Saints defeated the Cowboys in overtime, 26-20. (James D. Smith via AP)
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9)shakes hands with New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton before the first half of an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton during the teams community park clean efforts before the start of their NFL football training camp in White Sulphur Springs, W. Va., Wednesday, July 27, 2016. (AP Photo/Chris Tilley)
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) talks with New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton following a week 2 NFL football game on September 18, 2016 in East Rutherford, NJ. (Evan Pinkus via AP)
Jarrius Robertson, left, and Sean Payton arrive at the 6th annual NFL Honors at the Wortham Center on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2017, in Houston. (Photo by John Salangsang/Invision for NFL/AP Images)
FILE - In this Sunday Oct. 1, 2017, file photo, New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton and running back Adrian Peterson gesture as they leaves the field after an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins at Wembley Stadium in London. In the Saints' first four games this year, they went from double-digit losses the first two weeks, to wins by 20 or more the next two. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)
New Orleans Saints Head Coach Sean Payton celebrates on the sidelines in action against the Buffalo Bills Sunday November 12, 2017 in Orchard Park, New York. (Damian Strohmeyer via AP)
FILE - In this Nov. 26, 2017, file photo, Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay, left, greets New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton after an NFL football game in Los Angeles. "I am a huge fan of Sean's and I have gotten to know him and have a ton of respect for what he has done going on his second year," Payton said of McVay, adding that he "absolutely" makes a point of watching the Rams throughout the season. The teams meet again this week. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)
New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton stands in the tunnel with players prior to taking the field against the Minnesota Vikings during a NFC Divisional playoff football game on Sunday, Jan. 14 in Minneapolis. The Vikings defeated the Saints 27-23. (G. Newman Lowrance via AP)
NFC head coach Sean Payton of the New Orleans Saints, smiles on the field, before the NFL Pro Bowl football game against the AFC, Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton during an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2019 in Los Angeles. (Ben Liebenberg via AP)
New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton reads a play during the first half of an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2019, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Amis)
New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton and New quarterback Drew Brees (9) share a moment after Brees threw a touchdown pass surpassing Peyton Manning's record for most touchdown passes during an NFL game against the Indianapolis Colts, Monday, Dec. 16, 2019, in New Orleans. The Saints defeated the Colts 34-7. (Margaret Bowles via AP)
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) and head coach Sean Payton wait for the start of an NFL football game between the Saints and the Tennessee Titans Sunday, Dec. 22, 2019, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski)
New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton greets running back Alvin Kamara (41) as he warms up to face the Green Bay Packers in an NFla game, Sunday, September 12, 2021 in Jacksonville, Fla. (Michael DeMocker via AP)
New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton encourages his team before an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton coaches from the sideline during an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Monday, Oct. 25, 2021, in Seattle. New Orleans won 13-10. (Aaron M. Sprecher via AP)
New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton hugs Buffalo Bills wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders (1) prior to an NFL game, Thursday, Nov. 25, 2021 in New Orleans. The Bills beat the Saints 30-10. (Kevin Sabitus via AP)
New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) high-fives head coach Sean Payton against the Miami Dolphins during an NFL game, Monday, Dec. 27, 2021, in New Orleans. The Dolphins beat the Saints 20-3. (Cooper Neill via AP)
New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton works during the first half of an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Danny Karnik)
3. Payton's first season in New Orleans was the stuff of legend
The year before Payton was hired, there was farmore on the mind of New Orleans residents, as Hurricane Katrina had decimated the city. The Saints' Superdome home became a refuge for those in need of shelter and support, and the football team itself relocated to San Antonio as it played out a draining 2005 season. After going 3-13, the organization returned to New Orleans and brought in Payton to lead the team. Change was the defining characteristic of the offseason; as Robert Mays noted for The Ringer, 11 of New Orleans' starters were new to the team.
In inspirational fashion, Payton led the Saints to a hot start. They began the year 2-0 with a pair of road wins, and then they returned home for their first game at the Superdome since Katrina made landfall. In an emotional game — "I think every player at some point shed a tear, especially if he was on the team the year before," running back Deuce McAllister said — the Saints defeated the division rival Falcons 23-3, with Steve Gleason's blocked punt standing as the game's most indelible play.
As New Orleans was being rebuilt, the Saints continued an unlikely season that ended with a 10-6 record. In the playoffs, they beat the Eagles and made it to the NFC Championship Game. Though they fell one game short of the Super Bowl, their season was so far from disappointing.
"Sean Payton did such a tremendous job of changing the culture," former Saints cornerback Mike McKenzie told The Athletic’s Jeff Duncan in 2020. "No one really knew what was going on with us. You hear about all of the stories of what people had to do to get back into their homes and just to get back to the city. Just to think about how much excitement and how much joy we brought and simply being able to play the game, before the game had been won, everybody was there to witness the return of this city to the world."
4. HOF head coach Bill Parcells was a 'father figure' for Payton
After stints with the Eagles and Giants, Payton went to his third NFC East team in 2003 when Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach Bill Parcells hired him to be the Cowboys' assistant head coach/quarterbacks coach. Parcells made the decision before he had even met Payton, as ESPN’s Mike Triplett reported in 2020. He hired Payton over the phone, and then they met when Jerry Jones' private plane flew them to Dallas.
"I'll never forget it," Payton told Triplett. "We spoke football the whole way."
While it took time for the two to build trust, Parcells eventually allowed Payton to call plays on offense, which at the time was described by the Associated Press in 2005 an "unusual relinquishment of control" for the Cowboys' head coach. Parcells estimated that he had called plays every season he coached since 1993 or 1994.
As Payton told Triplett, Parcells became a "father figure."
"I think any one of us who was passionate about football realized, 'Man, this is a great window of opportunity' that you don't always get ... getting this hands-on education and taking advantage of it as much as possible," Payton said. "And I think he saw something in me. I think it was probably the passion for the game. He might disagree with something — it didn't mean it wasn't without conflict — but if you were passionate about it, you were gonna get along just fine with him."
5. He and Mike Shanahan both played quarterback at Eastern Illinois
In a funny coincidence, the Broncos' new head coach and their winningest head coach in team history have the same alma mater. Shanahan and Payton both attended Eastern Illinois and played quarterback, though Shanahan's playing career ended abruptly when he ruptured a kidney during a spring practice.
Payton had a successful run leading the Panthers, as he was a three-time FCS All-American honorable mention and a two-time Gateway Conference Offensive Player of the Year. According to a 1987 press release from Eastern Illinois, Payton finished his collegiate playing career with the third-most passing yards in college football history, regardless of division.
While his professional playing career didn't pan out, Payton found much more success as a coach, and he was able to look up to Shanahan during that time.
"At that time, Mike Shanahan was a guy who was coaching, and he was the one head coach in the NFL — and we were all as student-athletes aware of his career (at Eastern Illinois) as a quarterback and then on as a coach," Payton said in 2010.
Tony Romo, Jimmy Garoppolo and Brad Childress are among the other prominent Eastern Illinois football alums.
