Former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton visited with columnist Jeff Duncan on Tuesday after reportedly agreeing to become the next head coach of the Denver Broncos.
Read an edited transcript of their phone discussion:
Question: First of all, congratulations. What was it that interested you about the job in Denver?
Payton: “It’s a great fanbase and great tradition. The ownership group is fantastic, and I love the way they competed in some of their games last year. It’s a good football city that we had in New Orleans. It matters there. The fans are passionate about the team.”
Q: How did this all transpire in the last few days?
Payton: “I knew where I stood with Denver all along. There’s a reason they showed up to interview me at 10:15 on Jan. 17, the first day that I could visit with teams. We had a great Zoom call (with owner Carrie Penner Walton and her father, majority owner, Rob Walton) this weekend. Then it was just a matter of working out compensation. The last three days it’s (negotiations) been ongoing. (Broncos general manager) George (Paton) and (Saints general manager) Mickey (Loomis) were great. It took a minute, but they worked hard at it and got a deal done. Credit to Denver (officials) and Mickey and the Saints, they kept things quiet. I kept going to bed thinking I was going to wake up and find out (the deal was done).”
Q: How did it go with Mickey (Loomis)?
Payton: “It was awesome. He did a great job. It works out great in Denver, because being in the AFC we can have joint practices (with the Saints).”
Q: Any details you can share about your contract?
Payton: “I can’t comment on that. I’m sure it will eventually get reported but it’s not something that I can discuss.”
Q: Did talks ever get very far with any of the other clubs you interviewed with, Arizona, Carolina or Houston?
Payton: “I was impressed with all of the owners and officials that I talked to. Everyone was great, fantastic. But this was the opportunity I was looking for.”
Q: What are your impressions of quarterback Russell Wilson?
Payton: “Russell is a hard worker and has played at a high level and won a lot of games in this league. The pressure is on us to put a good running game together and reduce the degree of difficulty in his position. I’m excited about him.”
Q: You said all along that ownership and management were your top priorities in looking for a new club. What was it about the Walton-Penner group that stood out to you?
Payton: “I tried to put ownership at the top from the beginning, and I was impressed with how much they wanted to be successful. They want to do things the right way. We all saw the story of how they replaced the field for the last game (at a reported cost of $400,000). They didn’t have to do that. We had great support in New Orleans. I can’t recall Mr. or Mrs. B (Tom and Gayle Benson) never saying no to anything.”
Q: How does Skylene (Payton’s wife, Skylene Montgomery) feel about the decision?
Payton: “She’s excited. She and her mother are out looking for navy (blue) and orange clothes for the introductory press conference now.”
Sean Payton sees a lot of New Orleans in the Denver Broncos.
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