Last week’s report regarding the annual compensation to new Broncos coach Sean Payton was technically premature but ultimately accurate.
Yes, Payton will land “somewhere between” $17 million to $20 million per year. Peter King reports in his Football Morning in America column that Payton will make “in the neighborhood” of $18 million annually.
Of course, if that’s his official pay, there’s a chance he’ll get more, via off-the-books payments that often are made to high-end coaches, in order to keep the curve from blowing wide open at the lower end of the scale.
Is he worth it? Absolutely. A great coach is worth as much as a great player, and great players make a lot more than $18 million per year. That’s Kenny Golladay money. Brandin Cooks money. That’s a steal for a great coach.
And here’s why Payton is a great coach. He understands exactly what it takes to compete in the NFL, burning the post-midnight oil, fueled by Mountain Dew and Slim Jims as he constantly searched for ways to make his offense perform better. Any and every potential idea for attacking the next defense he’ll be facing.
A tweak here, a tweak there. A simple thing that could be completely imperceptible to the average fan or media member that makes a huge difference, not on a scoring play or at some obviously huge moment but on a third-and-five aimed at preventing a three-and-out and a short field for his defense late in the second quarter.
He understands it’s not his system but the way he engages in the one-play-at-a-time chess match. Having plays ready for a given opponent. Knowing when and how to immediately access them from the computer in his brain box, despite being in the middle of a swirling whirlwind of activity.
Coaches like Payton basically surrender their lives to their craft, especially from the moment training camp opens until the instant the postseason ends. There are no days off. There is no “I don’t feel like staying up late tonight.” It’s a full-focus obsession, and he (and other coaches like him) deserve to be properly compensated for it.
Others work as hard. Payton combines the work with consistent success.
He also brings leadership and the ability to motivate players individually, with a modern twist on the Bill Parcells shtick (which, as Mike Zimmer learned in Minnesota, no longer works in its classic form). Payton knows how to make his points in a sly, non-confrontational way. He pushes buttons without unnecessarily pissing players off.
Of course, in Denver, Payton’s performance and value will initially be judged based on what he does with Russell Wilson. Frankly, it’s a no-lose for Payton. If Wilson continues to struggle, people will conclude that the quarterback who wanted to cook is cooked. If he thrives, Payton will get the credit -- and the blame for 2022 will fall even more squarely on the shoulders of former Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett.
