Report: Saints Grant Broncos' Request to Interview Sean Payton for HC

The Denver Broncos' offseason hiring maneuvers have begun with Sean Payton.

The first domino in the Denver Broncos' pursuit of a new head coach fell on Saturday. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the Broncos had requested permission from the New Orleans Saints to interview Sean Payton. The Saints obliged. 

"The Denver Broncos requested and received permission from the New Orleans Saints to interview Sean Payton for their head coach job, league sources tell ESPN. The NFL ruled that any in-person interview with Payton cannot be conducted until at least January 17, per sources," Schefter tweed. 

The Denver Broncos requested and received permission from the New Orleans Saints to interview Sean Payton for their head coach job, league sources tell ESPN.

The NFL ruled that any in-person interview with Payton cannot be conducted until at least January 17, per sources.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 7, 2023

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The fly in the Payton ointment for any team interested in hiring him is the fact that the Saints own his rights, which means the Broncos would have to acquiesce to whatever New Orleans' trade demands are for his services. The Saints' ask has been rumored to be steep. We're talking multiple draft picks that would include a first-rounder. 

Just because the Saints agreed to allow Denver to interview Payton, though, doesn't mean the two teams have agreed on trade compensation. In fact, they haven't, per Schefter. 

"Broncos and Saints do not have to - and haven’t - agreed to the compensation that would go to New Orleans if Denver hired Sean Payton, per sources. This would come later if talks between Denver and Payton go well," Schefter tweeted. 

It's a bit curious how the NFL ruled that the Broncos can't interview Payton in-person until January 17. That's 10 days from now. A lot of water could pass beneath the bridge between now and then. 

However, that doesn't mean the Broncos couldn't conduct any manner of phone and/or Zoom meetings with Payton. If those went well, the two camps could meet in 10 days. 

This news would imply that Payton is Denver's top head-coaching candidate, despite all the buzz of late linking Michigan's Jim Harbaugh to Denver. Harbaugh is likely still atop Denver's list, and he could actually be the preferred choice, but this is the first public report to confirm that the Broncos have interest in a specific candidate. 

It's conspicuous that it happens to be Payton. Stay tuned. 

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