Sean Payton Implies Broncos Won't be Buyers at Trade Deadline

"Superman’s not walking in."

Oct 13, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton looks on during the second quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Holding your breath about the Denver Broncos ahead of Tuesday's NFL trade deadline? Don't.

Head coach Sean Payton strongly suggested the Broncos will not make any blockbuster acquisitions despite the fan base — and even his own brother — clamoring for it.

“The next 24 hours for me will be just like last Monday, or the following Monday or the Monday prior," Payton said on Nov. 4. "It’s going to be putting to bed the game we just played and then the preparation begins on Kansas City. In the meantime, [General Manager] George [Paton] and his staff—there’s always these last-minute calls either way. [He will] keep me abreast. He’ll walk in here if he thinks it’s something significant, but honestly the focus is on the guys in this building right here. Superman’s not walking in.

“My brother’s the worst at this. He’s the worst at free agency, and he’s the worst at the trade deadline. He just wants to see action. Then right after the action takes place, he never goes back and reflects and says, ‘Well that was a bad signing,’ or, ‘That was a bad trade.’ I say that—I kid him—but I think that there’s so much more that goes into it relative to whether you’re trading a player [or] acquiring a player. Contracts go into it, vision goes into it and locker room goes into it. There are a lot of details that go into that. To answer your question fairly, I’m sitting here with the numbers right now with Kansas City, the depth chart, injury report and scouting report. [I] kind of finished up on Baltimore. Our players are in meetings on Baltimore. That’s where we’re at.”

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While no outside additions are expected, the Broncos did handle some in-house business shortly after Payton's remarks. The team traded outside linebacker Baron Browning to the Arizona Cardinals for a 2025 sixth-round pick and signed OLB Jonathon Cooper to a four-year, $60 million contract extension.

Denver reportedly is also "open" to moving tight end Greg Dulcich and wide receiver Courtland Sutton is rumored to be available for the right price. Both are unlikely to materialize as Payton sharpens his focus on a crucial Week 10 road contest in Kansas City.

The league's trade deadline is 2 p.m. MT.

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