Broncos ready to sign the check on massive Sean Payton asking price

Sean Payton may return to coaching this offseason. If he does, it’s going to take a hefty offer from whichever team wants him.

Whichever team hopes to hire Sean Payton needs to make two deals: One with the New Orleans Saints, and one with Payton.

The deal with the Saints will involve draft picks while the deal with Payton will be a financial commitment. We’ve finally found out what that number will ballpark at, and it’s a sizable commitment, as expected.

Sean Payton’s desired salary revealed, and Broncos are ready to sign the check

Payton reportedly wants a salary in the $20-25 million range, according to Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com (subscription may be required). According to Zac Stevens of DNVR, the Denver Broncos have no issue with that price.

Considering that would put Payton up there with Bill Belichick as the highest-paid coach in the NFL, it’s pretty huge.

Payton has repeatedly said he enjoys his NFL TV analyst gig, and this figure makes it clear… The amount needed to pull him away from that job is massive.

For Broncos fans, it might put your stomach in knots. Not only will the Broncos need to move some draft picks to New Orleans for Payton, but the franchise will also be sending out a massive figure to Payton to coach the team. Tack on the fact that they have Russell Wilson on a contract valued at over $240 million and it’s easy to start thinking about what the team will do if these investments don’t work out. They’re fixing themselves on a very specific path.

The view last offseason was that Wilson was a proven quarterback and worth the investment. That’s the view for Payton, but on the coaching side. It didn’t work out for Wilson. They can’t afford for it to not work out for Payton, too.

The Broncos are joined by the Carolina Panthers and Houston Texans, also interested in adding Payton to lead their team. It’s unclear whether or not they’re interested in paying that high of a price.