Sean Payton backs Broncos stadium plan with roof flexibility

A day after city and team leaders identified historic Burnham Yard as the preferred site for a privately funded, retractable-roof stadium, Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton threw his support behind the plan, saying the project can help the Mile High City land marquee events without losing the elements and altitude edge that define football in Broncos Country.

“I think it’s great for the city,” Payton said on Wednesday, praising owners Greg and Carrie Penner for this step in the process. “Super Bowls, Final Fours — just on and on and on.”

Payton said he favors natural grass for player health and believes a retractable roof — used for flexibility rather than as a permanent dome — can give Denver more control over weather for major events while preserving the Broncos’ identity.

“There’s an advantage for the home team — natural grass. It’s healthier for the players,” he said. “We wouldn’t want to confuse a closed roof with changing how the altitude affects you. I just think the elements are important.”

Team and city officials on Tuesday named Burnham Yard, a central Denver railyard with deep historic roots, as the preferred site for a new, retractable-roof stadium that would anchor a mixed-use district. In a joint letter, the Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group, Mayor Mike Johnston and Gov. Jared Polis said the stadium would be privately funded with no new taxes, and could position Denver to host a Super Bowl, a men’s or women’s Final Four, major concerts and other events that generate hundreds of millions in annual economic activity.

The Broncos’ lease at Empower Field at Mile High runs through March 2031, aligning a potential move to the new venue with the start of that season in the fall. The team would shift only a short distance from its current home in Sun Valley to Burnham Yard on the western edge of La Alma-Lincoln Park, east of Interstate 25 and roughly between Sixth Avenue and Colfax Avenue.

“Today marks an important step forward in a shared vision,” the owners wrote with Johnston and Polis, calling the project a “transformational opportunity” to reconnect neighborhoods and build a vibrant hub that attracts premier events. The team signaled it is prepared to negotiate a strong community benefits agreement and to participate in a more transparent public process.

City leaders said the plan creates two major redevelopment opportunities: unlocking Burnham Yard for a new stadium district and reimagining the Empower Field site once the lease expires. The old stadium property and surrounding parking lots will revert to Denver’s ownership, and the city anticipates beginning a community planning process for that site in 2026. Officials said the public process could consider housing, parks, community spaces, child care, grocery options and other amenities.

Neighborhood leaders welcomed the announcement but stressed the need for sustained community engagement.

“Today you may see abandoned land and abandoned buildings, but history lies beneath the surface, and today a new future is possible,” Councilwoman Jamie Torres said, noting the area’s cultural and historic districts and the 13,000 residents who call nearby neighborhoods home.

Burnham Yard, once a vital railyard that predated Colorado statehood, closed in 2016. The Colorado Department of Transportation acquired much of the site in 2021 for transportation planning. Portions of the property are also held by Denver Water, and the Broncos have made additional nearby real estate purchases in recent months. The land will undergo environmental cleanup before construction.

Payton, who was a young New York Giants assistant for the first game at Denver’s current stadium in 2001, called the new plan “forward thinking.” He also pointed to the weather risks that come with major events in open-air venues, recalling the cold-weather Super Bowl at MetLife Stadium.

“New York snuck, like, literally, in the middle of the night, snuck a Super Bowl in, and they were two days away from that being a catastrophe,” he said, arguing that a roof offers the necessary flexibility without changing the Broncos’ on-field identity. That Super Bowl, which featured the Broncos, came just 12 hours before a blizzard and even impacted many who were there trying to get out of the metro area.

While Payton noted that new stadiums are rarely both privately funded and kept within city limits, he applauded ownership’s vision and speed.

“I called him this morning … just to congratulate him,” he said of Penner. “In such an early time frame of getting something like that in place … he’s super — the two of them are extremely good with a vision. Our goal is to be here to participate in that new vision.”

If approvals proceed, construction could begin later this decade, with the Broncos aiming to kick off the 2031 season in a new, retractable-roof, natural-grass home in the heart of Denver. Payton’s contract expires in early 2028, but at this rate, there’s a solid chance the 61-year-old is still the coach when the team moves into their new home.

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