Broncos coach Sean Payton isn’t expecting “a lot of flowers and warm fuzzies” in his New Orleans homecoming.
Some of his players beg to differ.
Payton coached the Saints from 2006-21 with the exception of 2012, when he was suspended by the NFL for his role in the Bountygate scandal. He led a franchise that mostly had struggled in four decades to its first NFC championship game in his first season, then steered the Saints to their only Super Bowl win in the 2009 season.
On Thursday night, Payton, who took 2022 off before joining the Broncos in 2023, will make his first trip back to the Superdome. Denver (3-3) will face New Orleans (2-4) in a nationally televised game, and the festivities also will include Drew Brees, Payton’s former star quarterback, being inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame.
“I think, first off, the evening’s about the game,’’ said Payton, whose Broncos lost 23-16 to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday to end a three-game winning streak, said Monday. “Then secondly, Brees is getting honored at halftime. I don’t think there’s going to be a lot of flowers and warm fuzzies for yours truly, and I get it.”
Broncos tight end Adam Trautman, who played for the Saints from 2020-22, including his first two seasons under Payton, disagrees.
“I’m sure they should cheer for him,’’ Trautman said. “He won a Super Bowl. He won a lot of games and they were obviously a juggernaut for 15 years. I’m sure he’s going to get a favorable reception, as he should.”
Payton compiled a 152-89 mark in his 15 Saints seasons.
“People would always mention, ‘Oh, Sean did this,’ or whatever,’’ Trautman said of what he heard when playing for the Saints after Payton left. “He’s definitely got his ghost living in this building (the Superdome), if you want to say it that way. But he meant so much to this city and the organization because they were not great. They didn’t win anything before 2006, when he got there, and then they took off. So he means a lot to that city.”
Broncos wide receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey, who played under Payton with the Saints from 2019-21, also expects he will get a warm reception.
“I think it’s going to be nothing but love,’’ Humphrey said. “He brought them their first Super Bowl, so I don’t know how you can hate somebody who won their first and only Super Bowl. I think he’ll get a lot of love. Some boos just because it is football. But mostly love.”
Trautman and Humphrey both figure it will be emotional for Payton on Thursday. He will return along with a number of assistant coaches who also were with him in New Orleans, including offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, assistant head coach Mike Westhoff, senior offensive assistant Pete Carmichael and offensive line coach Zach Strief.
“It will be unique,’’ Payton said. “One of the things we talk about with our players is trying to handle all this stuff ahead of time. I have a great wife (Skylene) whose tickets are done with family, (and) my children.”
Payton is trying as much as he can to put the emphasis on Denver’s need to get another win. He doesn’t deny the short week is “challenging,’’ as the Broncos go on the road and “have to deal with the crowd noise” at the Superdome.
“It’s about this game,’’ he said. “It’s about the win. The significance of us playing our best football on a short week and it’s about our team. I’ll address that with them (Tuesday) morning.”
Payton has reached out to Brees to congratulate him on his enshrinement and told him, “This is the first of many.” Brees could be a first-ballot selection for the Pro Football Hall of Fame when first eligible in 2026.
Brees was Payton’s quarterback for all but the last of his New Orleans seasons. Their crowning moment together came when the Saints defeated Indianapolis 31-17 in Super Bowl XLIV on Feb. 7, 2010.
Trautman said Payton is “very respected” in New Orleans, something that has continued after he left the Saints. Humphrey said Payton had “such a great run” with the Saints and many in the city still talk plenty about it.
Yes, they do. Former Broncos star cornerback Chris Harris Jr. finished his career with the Saints in 2022, the first season under Dennis Allen, Payton’s successor. He said there was plenty of reminiscing about Payton during that season.
“Oh, yeah,’’ said Harris, who played in the NFL from 2011-22, including 2011-19 with the Broncos. “They loved him there, especially the players. … He won a Super Bowl there, and sometimes your time just runs out.”
And what does Harris believe the crowd reaction will be like Thursday night?
“I think he gets a great reception,’’ Harris said. “I think they’ll celebrate him. They’ll be happy to see him.”
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