Sean Payton appreciates Broncos ownership: ‘Both of them are great communicators’

The Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group has checked off a lot of boxes for Broncos Country since they bought the Denver Broncos in 2022. They’ve made the right hires where necessary, they’ve shown a willingness to dedicate however much money is needed to the organization, and made every right decision in selecting a preferred stadium site for the future.

For Broncos head coach Sean Payton, he’s appreciated the efforts that Greg Penner and Carrie Walton Penner have made since he got to town in 2023.

“I think that it’s just been real clean… both of them are great communicators. Both of them think outside the box all the time. And I kind of think that same way. You appreciate him allowing and trusting you to do your job,” Payton said after Broncos practice on Wednesday.

The duo of Greg and Carrie have run the team since the WPFOG acquired the team in 2022. Midway through the 2023 season, just months into Payton’s tenure with the Broncos, Rob Walton transferred the controlling owner designation to Greg.

Payton emphasized how important ownership can be to the success of some coaches careers, and referenced how the legendary Vince Lombardi could’ve gone to a number of other organizations (besides the Packers) and not had the same success he ended up having.

He also had jokes of why the Broncos were an enticing destination for him when he was getting back into coaching a few years back.

“I wasn’t looking to find the division with [Patrick] Mahomes and [Andy] Reid, but, but what I was looking for was the right ownership group and and I felt like I had that in New Orleans as well as a young coach. And you begin to appreciate and realize how much that can really dictate your trajectory and your team’s trajectory. So it’s worked. It’s worked very well,” Payton said.

When Payton was hired in New Orleans ahead of the 2006 season, the late Tom Benson was the owner of the franchise. There was some controversy surrounding Benson and his aspirations to relocate the Saints to San Antonio after Hurricane Katrina, but he gave Payton the necessary resources to compete for a Super Bowl, and Payton held up his end of the deal when the Saints beat the Colts to win Super Bowl XLIV.

The Penners have shown that they will do whatever is necessary to put the franchise in a position to win. They have one of the best coaches in the league in Payton. They have a good general manager in George Paton. This Broncos roster is one of the most talented in the NFL. Now, the team has to take all the good things on paper, and go out onto the field and show that they are building something special and are here to contend for the rest of the decade.

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