It took just five weeks, but Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton has already worn out his welcome back on NFL sidelines.
Even before he coached a game, the 59-year-old Payton was forced to walk back some comments that he said he would have made as an NFL on Fox analyst (his role last season).
While the media gave Payton a pass for his comments and his remarkably harsh language toward his predecessor, Nathaniel Hackett, he didn’t exactly get a pass for his testy exchange with a reporter. And since being on the losing end of the Hackett Bowl—the Jets defeated Payton’s Broncos 31-21—he’s been subject to even more criticism.
Payton, who was on the New York Giants staff from 1999-2002, had to know that his comments during training camp would not be well received in the tri-state area, particularly at One Jets Drive. And while talk radio in New York isn’t what it used to be, Payton had to know that there would be some sort of backlash for taking aim at Hackett, especially if he and his team did not deliver a win.
They did not, and WFAN’s Sal Licata took Payton to task.
“He said it was the worst coaching job he’s ever seen,” Licata said regarding Payton’s remarks to USA Today. “Meanwhile, he’s God awful. Like, he’s washed up. Sean Payton, you are washed up. Give back the money. Go back to the broadcast booth. It’s over, Your team sucks. You embarrass yourself every week.”
.@sal_licata says Sean Payton is "washed up."
"Give back the money and go back to the broadcast booth"
Listen to the full segment from @BTandSal on @WFAN660: https://t.co/jJZPLyqlyy pic.twitter.com/8cEqCtpvtj
— Audacy Sports (@AudacySports) October 10, 2023
Payton was never in the broadcast booth, instead, he was in the studio at Fox. But what Licata is right about, is that he has found a way to embarrass himself each and every week.
Since signing a five-year deal, which was described at the time as “in the neighborhood” of $18 million a year, Payton has led the Broncos to a 1-4 record, including a historic 70-20 drubbing at the hands of the Miami Dolphins. That’s without mentioning Denver sent the Saints its first-round pick this year (Bryan Bresee) and its second-rounder in 2024, in exchange for Payton and the Saints’ third-round pick in 2024.
Licata may be the same guy who argued that the New York Mets should trade Pete Alonso a day after saying they’d be idiots to trade him, but he may not be wrong about Payton. At the same time, already imploring someone to return to their previous job after five weeks and return the money they took from a desperate organization is certainly a choice.
Obviously, time will tell and the Broncos will afford Payton to tear down this roster and bring his own team into Denver, but he’s not exactly off to a great start.
[Audcay]