Damani Leech on Broncos ownership: 'They want to win now'

Since taking over in 2022, the Denver Broncos’ new ownership group led by Greg Penner has poured resources into improving the team on and off the field. They paid to bring in Sean Payton, they’ve paid big contracts in free agency and they’ve made improvements to the stadium, practice facility and everyday fan experiences.

Penner and Co. have given Payton everything he needs to be successful because Denver’s ownership group is eager to win.

“I think [there are] two things to me that are really apparent about our ownership group,” Broncos president Damani Leech said earlier this month when unveiling renovations to the stadium. “I think first and foremost, there’s a commitment to winning. They want to be successful on the field. I think you’re seeing that in the investments both from a staff standpoint as well as from a player standpoint. They want to win, they want to win now as Greg has used the [phrase], he’s very impatient. They want to win.

“I think the second is the commitment to the fans. Right away, as we saw last year, ‘What can we do to make the fan experience better here on gamedays?’ It really pushed us to be really thoughtful about it. Not just what we’re doing, but why are we doing it, and we expect to continue to see that here every year.”

Last year, Payton wasn’t able to deliver a winning season as the Broncos went 8-9, but that was the team’s best mark since 2016. Payton’s squad will aim to take another step forward in 2024. There will be some growing pains with a rookie quarterback, but expectations are high in Denver. That starts with ownership. We’ll see if it translates to results on the field.