Sean Payton’s wild Bill Belichick plan for the Broncos: The coaching idea that could have changed NFL history
Payton revealed he was willing to step aside as Broncos coach so Belichick could chase the NFL’s all-time wins record
By John Breech
After watching Bill Belichick get dumped by the New England Patriots in 2024, Sean Payton had an idea that would have turned the NFL upside down: He wanted Belichick to serve as the head coach of the Denver Broncos.
The idea never came to fruition, but if Payton had been able to pull it off, it would have created the most unique coaching situation in NFL history. The plan called for Payton to step aside as head coach so Belichick could take his spot.
During the NFL playoffs in January, an ESPN reporter was embedded with the Broncos, and that’s when Payton shared the details about his crazy idea (although the playoffs happened back in January, the ESPN story wasn’t published until Tuesday).
Why Payton wanted to hire Belichick
Payton is a student of the game who knows NFL history, so he’s well aware that Belichick ended his time in New England with 333 career wins. That ranks second on the NFL’s all-time list for most coaching wins, behind only Don Shula, who finished his legendary career with 347 victories.
With Belichick needing just 15 wins to break the all-time record, Payton thought the Broncos could help the six-time Super Bowl-winning coach get to 348. Under Payton’s plan, he would have stepped aside as head coach and turned the job over to Belichick. Payton would have remained as assistant head coach while also running the offense.
