New list says Broncos head coach Sean Payton is top-5 in NFL

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton was in a much better mood this offseason than last.

That’s likely because QB Russell Wilson is gone, and Payton now gets to mold the Broncos into his vision. Rookie QB Bo Nix should be the guy sooner rather than later, and Payton’s legacy in Denver will largely be tied to whatever success that Nix does, or doesn’t, have.

And while Payton is one of just seven active head coaches with a Super Bowl ring, there’s been some debate on his ranking amongst his peers. USA Today published a list last month that said Payton was the 16th best head coach in the NFL. That turned some heads, given Payton guided the Saints to a championship in 2009. Folks were surprised he was that low.

Well one of the biggest sports media voices in the country dropped his own list on Tuesday, and it was much kinder to Payton. Colin Cowherd says Payton is a top-5 coach in the NFL, slotting him at No. 4 overall.

Here’s Cowherd’s full top-10.

The top 10 NFL head coaches, according to @colincowherd… Agree with his list? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/jTrG92Y5uC

— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) July 16, 2024

The only three coaches better than Payton according to Cowherd are Andy Reid with the Chiefs, Sean McVay with the Rams and John Harbaugh with the Ravens. He did not have Jim Harbaugh as eligible, since he just returned to the NFL with the Chargers after a long stint at the University of Michigan.

Reid and McVay are both recent Super Bowl champions, Reid multiple times, and John Harbaugh has Baltimore as a contender virtually every year. It’s good company for Payton to keep.

And he did take the Broncos from 5-12 when he arrived to 8-9 in 2023. That was while his relationship with Wilson was dysfunctional, ultimately leading the QB to get benched then eventually cut.

If Payton is indeed a top-5 coach in the NFL, he’ll need to get the Broncos back to the playoffs sooner rather than later. Maybe not this year as he navigates the journey with Nix, but in 2025 no doubt.

We’ll see how it all plays out, but for now, a prominent voice in media still believes in Sean Payton.

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