Did Jim Harbaugh pursuit bounce Sean Payton from Broncos coaching job?

The Denver Broncos are still pursuing Jim Harbaugh. Is it possible that’s why Sean Payton isn’t in the mix there anymore?

The market drying up on Sean Payton, thought to be the most sought-after head coaching candidate, was a strange twist in the open-ended head coaching carousel this offseason.

There were some possible reasons for the sudden lack of appetite for the Super Bowl-winning coach. Firstly, he was going to cost a lot, reportedly above and beyond $20 million per year. Secondly, the New Orleans Saints, whom he retired from coaching, own his coaching rights, so hiring Payton requires their permission. That, reportedly, will cost multiple draft picks, and high ones, at that.

Those factors understandably removed the more cost-focused teams from the running. But it didn’t quite explain why the Denver Broncos, who have spent lavishly on quarterbacks, new fields, and are under new ownership that wants to win, were out on Payton. Then, we got a cryptic Tweet from a New Orleans reporter that said little to nothing tangible but did explain that there was a reason why Payton and the Broncos didn’t work out.

Clearly, it’s hard to call this a report, but it opened the door for theories on why Payton wasn’t hired by the Broncos after he was the clear front-runner for several weeks.

Pairing that with the latest reports on the Broncos’ job, it makes a little more sense…

Did Jim Harbaugh supersede Sean Payton in Broncos priority list?

According to an early Sunday morning report, we’ve found out Jim Harbaugh isn’t as closed-door on the NFL as he indicated to Michigan just a few weeks ago. Broncos owner Greg Penner flew out to Ann Arbor to meet with Harbaugh.

Harbaugh, like Payton, will cost a considerable amount in terms of salary. But he is cheaper in that the Broncos won’t have to give up draft picks to obtain his services. Maybe the Broncos decided they’d prefer to go after him instead of Payton?

There are a number of ways to imagine how the Payton dynamics would have changed if the Broncos brought Harbaugh into the mix. Maybe it was a change for the Broncos. Or, perhaps, it was something on Payton’s end. Perhaps he didn’t want to be the second option to Harbaugh and told them they needed to make a decision quickly if they wanted him.

At this point, we don’t know, but connecting the dots, it wouldn’t be all that out there for Harbaugh becoming a player to change the game entirely.