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Long before Sean Payton of the Denver Broncos and legendary figure Bill Belichick became Super Bowl champion head coaches, they served as assistants on coaching staffs built by Hall of Famer Bill Parcells.
It turns out Payton wanted to do Belichick a solid shortly after New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and Belichick publicly confirmed on Jan. 11, 2024, that they had “mutually” agreed to part ways after the Patriots missed the playoffs for a third time in four years.
Did Bill Belichick almost replace Sean Payton as the Broncos’ head coach in 2024?
“Payton and Belichick go back decades, forged by mutual respect — and mutual trauma from working under Parcells,” ESPN’s Seth Wickersham shared for a lengthy piece that went public on Tuesday. “When Belichick and the Patriots divorced in 2024, Payton considered presenting Broncos owner Greg Penner a proposal for the ages: Hire Belichick as head coach until he reached 15 wins, enough to break Don Shula’s career record of 347. Payton would temporarily step down to assistant head coach and run the offense, then move back after Belichick became the all-time leader. In the end, it was too complicated — and maybe too fanciful.”
Until Tuesday, the perception existed that the Atlanta Falcons were the only NFL team that showed any real interest in potentially hiring Belichick in early 2024. Falcons owner Arthur Blank instead hired Raheem Morris, but Blank dismissed Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot after the 2025 regular season ended.
As for Payton, he guided the 2023 Broncos to a record of 8-9. Denver has since made back-to-back postseason trips, and the Broncos may have become at least the reigning AFC champions had starting quarterback Bo Nix not suffered a broken bone in his right ankle during the divisional round of the playoffs this past January.
It’s unclear how close Payton came to making his proposed plan a reality or what would have happened had Belichick accepted the Denver job and then found immediate success. If nothing else, Wickersham’s article may spark renewed conversations about whether or not Belichick could step down as North Carolina Tar Heels head coach this coming winter and make a stunning return to the NFL.
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