Report: Broncos will be the first team to meet with Sean Payton

According to ESPN’s NFL insider Adam Schefter, the Denver Broncos will be the first team to have an in-person interview with retired Saints Head Coach, Sean Payton. The Broncos' top decision-makers will travel down to Los Angeles on Tuesday to meet with Payton where he will give his plan if he were to be the team's

As we know, the Broncos were the first team to reach out and receive permission to talk to Sean Payton. While on FOX NFL Sunday, Payton indicated that he spoke with the Broncos' owner for over an hour. It also came out that the Broncos and Saints were on the “same page” when it came to compensation. Remember. since Payton is under contract with the Saints, any team wanting to hire Payton would have to trade for him. The expected cost for him is at least a first-round pick and likely more, but reports indicate that the Broncos are willing to meet that asking price. So the interest appears to be very real here, but is it mutual? We shall see.

The Broncos are not the only ones going after Sean Payton. The Arizona Cardinals and Houston Texans both received permission to speak with him as well. While no interview days have been set for them just yet, it sounds like they will also get their chance to meet with the top available coach on the market.

The Broncos have been busy visiting with candidates recently. They had an over two-hour zoom interview with Michigan Head Coach Jim Harbaugh, their first in-person interview was with their own defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, and then two more in-person interviews with veteran coach Jim Caldwell, and former Stanford Head Coach David Shaw.

When they are done with Payton, they will also interview Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris for their head coaching vacancy. He was the man behind their Super Bowl-winning defense and the coach who worked with current Broncos defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero as well. He’s a veteran coach who has interviewed for the Broncos job before back in 2009 when they were looking for a replacement for Mike Shanahan.

If Rams Head Coach Sean McVay steps away from the game, which sounds likely, Morris is viewed as a top candidate for that job. So, he is a legit candidate, but I would be surprised if he ended up being the guy for the Broncos.

After Payton and Morris, the Broncos will hold interviews with Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans next week as well. After that, they will move forward with their process and narrow down their list before eventually hiring the next Denver Broncos head coach.