The Denver Broncos finally seem to be heading in the right direction after several years of being in the wilderness, and a good amount of the credit has to go to head coach Sean Payton.
They started the 2024 season with two losses but got hot soon afterward and made the playoffs for the first time since the 2015 season.
Although they got routed there by the Buffalo Bills, their immediate future looks fairly bright.
It might have been even brighter if a two-time Super Bowl champion hadn’t turned down an offer to join Payton’s coaching staff.
“Sean Payton tried to add 2x Super Bowl champ Rob Ninkovich to the Broncos’ staff when Payton came to Denver, Ninkovich told Betway. Sounds like Ninkovich turned down the opportunity, but has the utmost respect for Payton, who drafted him,” Zac Stevens of DNVR Sports wrote on X.
Sean Payton tried to add 2x Super Bowl Champ Rob Ninkovich to the Broncos’ staff when Payton came to Denver, Ninkovich told Betway.
Sounds like Ninkovich turned down the opportunity, but has the utmost respect for Payton, who drafted him.
“Sean is a terrific coach. His…
— Zac Stevens (@ZacStevensDNVR) January 22, 2025
Ninkovich also admitted that Payton wanted him to join his staff with the New Orleans Saints but felt it wouldn’t have been the best situation for him.
The defensive lineman played for the Patriots from 2009 to 2016, but as a rookie in 2006, he played for the Saints, the team Payton coached from 2006 to 2021.
In 10 NFL seasons, Ninkovich had 46.0 sacks, 22 passes defended, five interceptions and 12 forced fumbles.
After he retired following the 2016 season, he was an analyst for ESPN until 2023.
The Broncos appear to have their long sought-after franchise quarterback in Bo Nix, the rookie who started this season off poorly but started to get the hang of things around October.
He finished the season with 3,775 passing yards, 29 touchdown passes and a 66.3 percent pass completion rate.
Denver, however, won this season largely with defense, and it ended up allowing the third-fewest points in the league.
