The Denver Broncos went 8-9 in their first year under head coach Sean Payton, who was coming off five consecutive winning seasons as the New Orleans Saints head coach from his last stint in the NFL, which ended in 2021. For the majority of his time as a head coach, the 60-year-old had Drew Brees as his quarterback.
Brees played for the Saints from 2006 to 2020 and Payton was the Saints head coach from 2006 to 2021, excluding the 2012 season when he was suspended. The two won Super Bowl XLIV and won their division seven times.
While many credit them both equally for the success the Saints saw during their reign, one player said it was all Brees. Former four-time Pro Bowler Roddy White, who played the Saints twice a year as a member of the Atlanta Falcons, called out Payton on social media, saying it was the quarterback who is the reason the Saints won games.
“Sean [Payton] time has passed him by don’t matter who he gets in the draft drew carried that man and he ain’t done nothing since.”
The Broncos currently have the No. 12 overall pick, though they could trade up. Even if they do end up with a higher pick and land a top player, White does not think it will matter.
White played for the Falcons, the Saints rivals, from 2005 to 2015, spanning his entire career. He was a first-team All-Pro and the NFL receptions leader in 2010, and after his retirement was inducted into the Falcons Ring of Honor.
Most Falcons players aren’t huge fans of Payton, and the Broncos not “wowing” in his first season back in the NFL only gives White more ammo. The Broncos finished the season third in the AFC West. The head coach finished in third or below in his division four times with the Saints, with a total record of 152-89 in New Orleans.
Payton’s quarterback in 2023 was Russell Wilson, who ended up not only not working out, but costing the team a lot of money. He lasted just two years with the team and one with Payton. After Wilson’s release, the team now sits without someone whom they thought would be a successful quarterback for them as they head into 2024.
