Sean Payton, Broncos Schedule In-Person Interview, per Report

Denver will reportedly hold the first in-person interview with the former Saints coach.

The Broncos have reportedly secured the first in-person head coaching interview with Sean Payton, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Payton is slated to meet with Denver on the morning of Jan. 17 after the Saints granted Denver permission to interview him on Saturday. While the Broncos will hold the first in-person interview with Payton, multiple teams including the Texans and the Cardinals are interested in his services, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Payton stepped away from coaching while still with the Saints after the 2021 season. He is still under contract with New Orleans, which is why franchises must request to permission from the Saints to interview him. Prior to Payton upcoming trip to the Mile High City, the Broncos held two interviews this week with Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh and former Stanford football coach David Shaw.

Harbaugh spent two hours in a virtual-based interview with the Broncos on Monday, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Shaw, who stepped down from the Cardinal after the ’22 season, interviewed with Denver on Wednesday, according to Schefter.

Shaw, who served as Harbaugh’s offensive coordinator as well as wide receivers and later running backs coach before becoming the head coach in ’11, has previous coaching experiences in the NFL from ’97 to ’05 serving as quarterbacks and wide receivers coach during stints with the Eagles, Raiders and Ravens.

Others reportedly in the mix for the Broncos head coaching vacancy include Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans and Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris.