NFL TV Star Doubles Down on Bold Sean Payton, Broncos Prediction

If this comes true, Denver Broncos fans are going to be happy.

It's truly incredible how quickly things can change in the NFL. Flashback to just a year ago, and many in the NFL believed that the Denver Broncos, having just acquired superstar quarterback Russell Wilson to play under up-and-coming offensive-minded head coach Nathaniel Hackett, could be legitimate playoff contenders. 

Some even predicted the Broncos to have a puncher’s chance against the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West. Alas, the reality of the colossal failure that was the 2022 Broncos became apparent rapidly as the team clunked toward a 5-12 finish.

It wasn’t just Broncos Country who was shocked by the utter despair from last year’s squad, but many covering the NFL at large believed that Denver would finally return to prominence after missing the playoffs every season since the team won it all in 2015. Peter Schrager of Good Morning Football was one of the many who believed in Wilson and Hackett, predicting Wilson to win the MVP and Hackett to win Coach of the Year in a season kickoff segment a year ago.

While many analysts have cooled completely on the Broncos after last season’s debacle, Schrager is doubling down on Wilson and the Broncos thanks to the team’s addition of one of the more renowned coaches in the entire NFL. In a recent segment predicting awards for the upcoming season, Schrager picked Sean Payton to win Coach of the Year and for the Broncos to end their playoff drought under the team’s new coach.

“I’m doubling down on the Broncos being back and I’m going with Sean Payton… (Payton) signed the NFL’s first coaching super max contract. They brought him out of retirement and they are paying him to be that guy. If you are picking coach of the year, you are saying ‘this team is a playoff team.' I think this (Broncos) team is a playoff team. I don’t know if it’s (Russell) Wilson or (Jarrett) Stidham, I don’t know who is at quarterback (but) somebody is balling at quarterback. But Sean Payton will be the coach… I am going with Sean Payton and I’m all in.”

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It will be a tall task for Payton to turn this Broncos team around rapidly enough to earn a playoff berth this season. According to BetMGM, Denver’s odds to make the playoffs currently sit at +200 (23rd-highest odds in the league) and -250 to miss the playoffs. Schrager might believe in the Broncos, but Vegas does not — at least not yet.

It was noteworthy that Schrager doubled down on his opinion about Payton's Coach of the Year outlook mostly due to the coach himself. Stating that Payton would maximize either Wilson or backup quarterback Stidham to the point that the Broncos win the playoffs indicates Schrager's belief in Payton over anything else on the offense. 

Payton has done well in his head-coaching career with a variety of quarterbacks, but elevating Stidham enough for Denver to earn a playoff spot in the treasure trove of excellent quarterback play that is the AFC would be miraculous.

The Broncos might not make the playoffs this year, and Payton might not win Coach of the Year, but it does appear that many believe that the head coach can help drag his team in the right direction for the first time in many years. That's a start, at least. 

Hopefully, for the sake of Broncos Country, Schrager is closer on his prediction this year than he was just one season ago.

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