Sean Payton conducting the Broncos hype train isn’t a bad thing

About once a summer you can count on Broncos head coach Sean Payton to make a splash.

That was the case on Monday, when Yahoo! Sports author Charles Robinson published some quotes from Payton that are going viral.

First, Payton thinks the Broncos can win the Super Bowl this year. And he’s not shying away from it.

“The short-term goal is winning the division,” Payton told Robinson. “But this is a team capable of winning the Super Bowl. I’ve coached six teams that I thought could win the Super Bowl. Some went to championship games, some to the playoffs. This is my seventh team that I think has that.”

Broncos Country has to love this. Sean Payton isn’t afraid to conduct the hype train, and frankly, that’s not a bad thing. If Payton is willing to say this publicly, his team has to know it’s genuine. He’s not doing it for a good time, he truly believes in this Denver roster.

And second, when it comes to QB Bo Nix, Payton thinks he’ll be at the top of the NFL soon. Like, in the next couple of years.

“He’s going to be one of the top four or five quarterbacks in the league the next two years,” Payton told Robinson. “That’s what we’re seeing right now. He doesn’t take sacks. He’s got exceptional arm strength. … He threw the longest ball — [67] air yards against Cincinnati. He can run. He can throw in funny body angles.”

There’s no harm in Payton talking up Nix. Are NFL defenses suddenly going to try harder against the Broncos quarterback because the head coach is a fan? No. Payton has been clear he believes in Denver’s leader and thinks Nix will one day be in the same breath with the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen and Joe Burrow.

And can you imagine if Nix and the Broncos skip steps and go on to win a championship this season? They’d be sick in Baltimore and Buffalo, where Jackson and Allen have yet to play in a Super Bowl. Burrow once reached the big game with Cincinnati, but couldn’t finish the job.

This is simply who Sean Payton is. He gets comfortable with reporters in 1-on-1 settings and sometimes says things that will catch the rest of the NFL off guard. He wasn’t lying when he said what Nathaniel Hackett did with the Broncos was one of the worst coaching jobs in history.

He isn’t fibbing this time around, either.

At training camp day after day it’s evident this Denver defense can be one of the best in the league. The organization last won a title in 2015 with a historically great defense. This group isn’t at their level, yet, but has that kind of potential.

On offense, Nix is ready to make another leap. He was sixth in the NFL last year with 29 touchdowns passes and could toss around 35 this season. It also won’t be surprising, at all, if Nix throws for more than 4,000 yards. Sean Payton always puts his QBs in the best position to succeed.

So while some in Broncos Country might worry these comments will put a target on Denver’s back, the opposite is actually being achieved. Payton is using the media to convey an important message to his players. He believes in them behind closed doors and publicly.

Never in your life is it bad to hear a compliment. That’s what Payton accomplished in his interview with Robinson. The vibes in the locker room were already high — and he just notched them up another level.

We’re lucky to have Sean Payton and his tremendous confidence as the face of the Broncos.

And if there’s a parade in February, we’ll remember in early August when he declared to the world a fourth Lombardi Trophy is indeed possible.

Related

As Broncos prepare for preseason test, there’s a key trend they hope sustainsHere’s when the Broncos will wear their throwback, navy-blue, orange and white jerseys in 2026Broncos reveal parking and tailgating plan for Burnham YardBo Nix won’t play in Broncos first preseason game, QB plan revealedBroncos list Jarrett Stidham as No. 2 QB on first depth chart of 2026 seasonBroncos 15th most valuable franchise in NFL, worth more than $9 billion