Sean Payton ‘wouldn’t be surprised’ to see Belichick back in NFL

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton says he misses Bill Belichick and would welcome the six-time Super Bowl champion’s return to the NFL sidelines.

“I wouldn’t be surprised, and I would be somewhat hopeful that he ends up back in the league,” Payton said on Wednesday. “We’d all be better for it.”

Payton’s comments come as speculation continues to swirl around Belichick’s future following a 4-8 debut season at North Carolina — a stint that left the Tar Heels well short of any postseason. All the while, there are questions about his girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, involvement with the program.

Belichick, 73, was named a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026 on Wednesday, the lone coach to advance from a semifinalist pool that included former Broncos head coaches Mike Shanahan and Dan Reeves.

Payton described a friendship with Belichick that dates back nearly two decades to a chance meeting in Hawaii. After both coaches lost their respective conference championship games in January 2007 — Payton’s Saints falling to the Bears, Belichick’s Patriots to the Colts—the two shared coaching duties at the Pro Bowl.

“When you’re there 10 days, and you kind of realize the Pro Bowl practice is a half an hour, you’re going to have a lot of time,” Payton said. “I got to know him.”

That relationship blossomed into joint practices, roster-building discussions and a trade partnership Payton called seamless.

“We’d do a trade in 20 seconds, or it was just really easy to say, ‘No, we’re good,'” Payton said. “There was never any trying to win over.”

Payton likened Belichick’s candidacy to planes backed up on a runway, naming him alongside Mike Holmgren and Shanahan as coaches waiting to hear their name called.

“There are a few planes right out here on the runway,” Payton said. “One of them is Belichick, and the other one is Shanahan, and there’s Holmgren. It’s just a matter of when they take off.”

The Broncos coach acknowledged learning that NFL coaches do not face the same five-year waiting period as players for Hall of Fame consideration—a rule that allowed Belichick to become a finalist in his first year of eligibility. Belichick’s 333 career victories rank second all-time behind only Don Shula.

“I would consider him a close coaching friend who’s had an impact on the way we looked at building a roster,” Payton said. “I miss him not being in the league.”

Belichick is likely to draw some interest from NFL teams this offseason despite the wild season at North Carolina. He has both a cheap buyout, just $1 million, and there are a lot of vacancies without many hot candidates this winter.

While Belichick has struggled post-Patriots, Payton is working to become the first head coach to win a Super Bowl for two franchises — a mark that would likely make his friend Bill proud or at least jealous.

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