Oddsmakers give Sean Payton a great chance to win ’23 Coach of the Year
Mar 9, 2023, 12:37 PM
Broncos Country wants to believe in Sean Payton.
After all, he does have a Super Bowl ring, but fans are cautiously optimistic after the brutal football we’ve witnessed the last seven years.
The oddsmakers? Well they’re firmly on board.
AP NFL Coach of the Year odds were recently released on one site, and Payton checks in with the second best chance at +1200. That means he’s 12-1 to take home the award in 2023. Only Dan Campbell with the Detroit Lions has better odds, but just barely, sitting at +1100.
DeMeco Ryans, who Denver was interested in to be their next head coach and is now with the Texans sits at +1600. Frank Reich, a new hire in Carolina, is also +1600, and then a slew of coaches check in with 20-1 odds.
Look, if Payton can turn around the Broncos, he’s got a real shot. Denver’s 5-12 record was perhaps the most surprising and disappointing mark in the NFL a season ago. Russell Wilson throwing just 16 touchdowns was a stunner, as the former Super Bowl champion turned in the worst season of his career.
And that’s ultimately how Payton’s success will be measured. Can he get the most out of Wilson? Was it truly just a Nathaniel Hackett problem? If Wilson returns to his Pro Bowl form under Payton, you bet he’ll receive a lot of votes for Coach of the Year.
Frankly, the rest of Denver’s roster just isn’t that talented. At least, not yet. So it’d be another gold star for Payton if he can lead this team to 10-plus wins next season.
He’s won the award before, way back in 2006 after turning around the New Orleans Saints, so he’s accomplished this task already. Folks covering the NFL and voting on awards love a good story, and Payton doing it again with the Broncos in 2023 would be a great one.
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