The Denver Broncos ownership group, which made the decision to fire Nathaniel Hackett last week, is expected to be “ultra-aggressive” to do whatever it takes to land the head coaching candidate it wants, league sources told ESPN.
While there’s a salary cap for players, there’s no salary cap on what owners can spend on a head coach, their staff and the rest of the organization — and the Walton bum group, which bought the Broncos last summer, likely won’t spare no expense or sacrifice in its efforts to improve the franchise.
The Walton-bum group, who were determined to buy the Broncos franchise this past offseason, paid a record $4.65 billion and are expected to use the same energy and determination to land a new coach.
The most prominent candidate is former Saints head coach Sean Payton, who will have one of the richest head coaching contracts in the league. The Saints also receive draft pick compensation from the team hiring Payton.
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The Saints never publicly stated what they would want in exchange for Payton, but league sources know that New Orleans has been keeping a close eye on what other franchises have received for other top coaching candidates.
The Raiders received two first-round picks, two second-round picks, and $8 million from the Buccaneers in exchange for Jon Gruden. The Jets received a first-round pick, a fourth-round pick, and a seventh-round pick from the Patriots in exchange for a fifth-round pick, a seventh-round pick, and Bill Belichick.
The Patriots also once received first-, second-, third-, and fourth-round picks from the Jets in exchange for Bill Parcells, as well as $300,000 donated to charity.
The Saints believe Payton, who won 152-89 in 16 seasons with New Orleans and led the Saints to the only Super Bowl championship in franchise history, is worth what other great coaches are worth and then some.
Denver, meanwhile, has its own near-term challenges as interim head coach Jerry Rosburg takes over and faces the Chiefs in his first game in his new role. The Chiefs are 14-0 against the Broncos since November 2015, averaging 11.9 points per game, and Patrick Mahomes has won all 10 of his starts against Denver.
The Broncos fired Hackett last Monday after falling to 4-11, abruptly ending the shortest tenure by a non-interim head coach in franchise history. The Walton-Penner group — led by Walmart heir Rob Walton, daughter Carrie Walton Penner and son-in-law Greg Penner — quickly ran out of patience with a team that had one of the league’s best defenses but an offense that was only average 15.5 points per game.