Sean Payton didn’t blink when asked this week whether the 2026 Broncos belong in the Super Bowl conversation.
“Yeah, this is one of them," Payton said. "I think you have to play good defense to be one of those teams.
You have to get good quarterback play. You have to be good on the offensive and defensive lines.
You have to be well coached. I think we’re all of the above.”
That answer lands differently now than it did a year ago. Last summer, Payton drew plenty of eye-rolls when he said the 2025 Broncos were one of the teams in his career that could contend for a title. At the time, plenty around the league thought he was reaching, especially for a team that had just posted its first double-digit win season since 2015 and was only two years removed from a five-win campaign.
Then the Broncos went out and backed it up.
Denver’s 2025 season was real, and it was close to becoming something even bigger. The Broncos won 14 games behind second-year quarterback Bo Nix, who emerged as a clutch-time player and gave the franchise the kind of quarterback it has been chasing. That playoff run ended with a 33-30 overtime win over the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round, and it would have been even more memorable if not for the freak ankle injury Nix suffered on the third-to-last play.
So when Payton talks about the 2026 team now, there’s actual proof behind the confidence.
The Broncos still check every major box Payton laid out. Nix is entering Year 3, healthy, fully cleared, and back on the practice field at training camp.
The defense again led the league in sacks and ranked among the NFL’s best against the run and the pass. John Franklin-Myers is gone in free agency, but the front still revolves around All-Pro Zach Allen, and the room remains deep.
Up front on offense, Denver keeps rolling with one of the league’s best lines. For the third straight year, all five starters are back, including first-team All-Pros Garett Bolles at left tackle and Quinn Meinerz at right guard. That kind of continuity matters, and Payton knows it.
The coaching side is just as important. Payton already has a Lombardi Trophy from his time with the 2009 Saints, and he’s still operating at a high level in his early 60s.
The Broncos have won 32 games in his three seasons, knocked the Kansas City Chiefs off the AFC West throne, and earned the No. 1 seed in the AFC. That doesn’t happen by accident.
Even with other teams circling his staff during January’s hiring cycle, Payton kept the key pieces in place. Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and new offensive coordinator Davis Webb were both in head-coaching conversations, and Denver also lost several assistants to promotions elsewhere. Still, Joseph and Webb stayed, and special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi remains one of the league’s most respected third-phase coaches.
That gives Payton another reason to believe this group fits the standard he set.
The Broncos are also bringing back 90% of their snaps from last season, which should help as they navigate a difficult first half of the schedule. They know how close they came in 2025, and they’re not pretending otherwise.
“Certainly this is a team that understands or has expectations of playing in the postseason, and yet there’s still that journey that starts again," Payton said.
He also made clear that last year’s success doesn’t mean Denver gets to skip steps in 2026.
“There’s a topic. Yesterday, with the initial team meeting, it was hitting some of those bullet points that can play against these odds, for instance, of so many one-score games," Payton said.
"Where are the areas we’ve really got to look at ourselves and say, ‘We can improve here.’ I haven’t stood up there with a Lombardi Trophy yet and said, ‘Hey…’ Not yet."
That’s the line that hangs over this team now. The Broncos have already shown they can win big, win often, and win with the kind of balance Payton wants. The next step is the one they haven’t taken with him yet.
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Broncos Face A Big Vance Joseph Question After Latest Interest
Vance Josephs latest round of head-coaching interest only reinforced how much the Broncos value having him in place. Denvers defensive coordinator has been in this spot before, drawing attention from teams looking for a new leader, and Sean Payton made clear he still views Joseph as someone with the rsum and presence to keep getting those chances. For a defense that has leaned on Josephs structure and experience, the stability matters as much as the outside buzz.
Paytons confidence also speaks to the bigger picture in Denver, where the Broncos are trying to keep their coaching foundation intact while other teams continue to ask about Josephs future. The interest around him is not going away, and that is part of the reality for a coordinator with head-coaching credentials. The only real question now is how long Denver can keep him in-house before another opening finally lines up the way he wants. [Read more 🡒]
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Cooper is still set to be arraigned later this month on assault-related charges tied to a domestic violence incident, and the case could also draw attention from the NFL under the Personal Conduct Policy. For the Broncos, the issue is bigger than one roster spot. It is now a test of how the franchise balances accountability, public scrutiny and whatever comes next from both the legal system and the league office. [Read more 🡒]