Here's Why Broncos Wealthy Owners Can't Afford Sean Payton

Sean Payton would be great but the Denver Broncos can't afford him.

The Denver Broncos are expected to begin their head coach search next week. Plenty of fans and pundits think the Broncos need to go big with a hire.

Among the names mentioned, the Broncos could "go big" in pursuit of Sean Payton, who has hinted that he may be interested in returning to coaching in 2023. There's even buzz that he knows he wants to bring back former Broncos head coach Vic Fangio as defensive coordinator.

Setting aside Payton's wishlist for his coaching staff, there's a significant reason why chasing after him would be the wrong move for the Broncos at this time.

The drawbacks have nothing to do with Payton himself, from how much credit he deserves in his run with the Saints to how much money he wants in a contract to how much control he wants over personnel decisions.

The reason has everything to do with the New Orleans Saints.

Payton retired after the 2022 season with two years left on his contract. When a head coach retires, rather than resigns or gets fired, his team still controls his rights until the year the contract expires.

That means, in order to land Payton in this hiring cycle, teams must send draft capital to the Saints — and in that situation, the Saints hold all the cards.

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The Saints need more draft capital in 2023, given the state of their salary cap and their current roster. New Orleans has no first-round pick, having traded it away for a move up the 2022 draft board when the quarterback prospects weren't considered to be that good.

Consequently, it shouldn't surprise anybody that the Saints would demand at least a first-round pick in 2023 as part of a Payton trade package. And if a team becomes desperate to get Payton, the Saints could demand more than that.

The Broncos have owners with deep pockets, but that doesn't mean the owners will always be deep with draft capital. And the Broncos are currently in a different situation, with just six total picks in the 2023 draft.

Sending draft capital to acquire a coveted coach would represent an 'all-in' move. The Broncos just came off a season with a similar 'all-in' move involving draft capital: the trade for Russell Wilson. It didn't pan out as expected, regardless of why it didn't.

It's one thing to lure a head coach into the fold with a big salary or lots of input regarding personnel. But once you have to send draft capital to another team, you need to consider what that means, especially if you are coming off an offseason that involved dealing away lots of draft capital.

If you want the Broncos to swing big, it would be better to persuade Jim Harbaugh to come into the fold. With Harbaugh, Denver wouldn't have to give up any draft capital. The same applies if you want to lure a first-time head coach, such as Shane Steichen, whose name is getting talked up a lot. 

But as long as the Saints retain the rights to Payton, the Broncos should say no. The Broncos already gave up lots of picks for Wilson and can't afford to give up more to land a head coach, regardless of what that coach has done in the past.

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