Horse Tracks: Is the 2024 NFL Draft the defining moment of Sean Payton’s career?

The Denver Broncos have the #12 overall pick in the NFL Draft, and Sean Payton, a future Hall of Famer, is going to be the one deciding the pick (and every one thereafter). Could this decision define, or redefine, his career?

Sean Payton inherited an absolute mess when he agreed to become the Denver Broncos’ head coach.

Let’s get that out of the way.

He took control of a ridiculously lopsided contract of a QB on his last leg of productivity and couldn’t fix it. Therefore, he made the difficult decision (or wait, maybe George Paton made the call? LOL) to eat millions of dollars in money owed to a certain former QB in hopes the team could rebuild the right way.

Payton is no stranger to building a team. The New Orleans Saints were an annual punchline prior to Payton’s arrival, but his acquisition of Drew Brees and strategy to rebuild the offensive line turned the Saints from a punchline to a contender. He had hoped to work his same magic again in Denver, but…

Let’s face it, Drew Brees isn’t walking through that door. There is no free agent QBb that comes close to what Brees had at that stage in his career, so put that idea in the trash. And unlike when he came to New Orleans, he is now handcuffed by budget restraints given the stupid amount of money still owed to Russell Wilson. Bobby Bonilla says hi.

The Saints was a challenge, but compared to what he now is dealing with, the Saints “challenge” looks like a difficult Sudoku. The Broncos are like dealing with a gambling addict who owes money to the mob.

Needless to say, he has his work cut out for him. The initial hope is that he would “fix” Russell Wilson and have the Broncos back to the playoffs, and despite Wilson’s glaring limitations, he came damn close. But now, he’s starting with a clean slate. From scratch almost. Justin Simmons, Jerry Jeudy, and other impact players from years past are no longer there.

There is no QB1 on the roster. Javonte Williams does not appear to be RB1 material. Greg Dulcich showed promise at tight end at one point but the guy can’t sneeze without tearing his Achilles. And don’t start with the lack of a pass rush on defense. It’s bad.

This may be the biggest rebuild of Payton’s career. He struck gold in New Orleans, but he had Brees to lean on. With Denver, he does not have that luxury, nor does he have the cap space to replicate that situation.

And, not to make a draft pun, but Payton is very much on the clock.

What he does with this draft could very well define his tenure with the Broncos. The team has too many needs to count, with QB being the biggest. How he proceeds could very well redefine his legacy the way Belichick’s has been redefined. It is now, “It was Brady, not Bill.” If Sean doesn’t want the narrative of “

It was Drew, not Sean”, then he sure as hell better have a plan in place.

Broncos/NFL News

This jersey design is floating around. Probably the only thing worth discussing this morning. Is it real? Is it ugly?