Sean Payton pulls former Saint out of retirement to join Broncos

Sean Payton has added former New Orleans Saints coach Joe Vitt to his Denver Broncos staff.

With Sean Payton taking over the Denver Broncos, it makes sense that he will want former New Orleans Saints colleagues like Joe Vitt with him in the building.

The Broncos have finalized Payton’s first coaching staff in Denver. Although Vitt is well-respected in the coaching profession, his inclusion on the Broncos coaching staff was a bit surprising because he was already two years into his retirement. He most recently worked for his son-in-law Adam Gase on whatever era of New York Jets football that was. Vitt is best known from the Saints.

He was Payton’s assistant head coach and linebackers coach in New Orleans from 2006 to 2016, serving as the Saints’ interim head coach during Payton’s suspension for Bountygate in 2012.

Former New Orleans Saints coach Joe Vitt joins Sean Payton’s Denver Broncos

While returning the once-proud Broncos to their former glory will not be easy, reaching into the past with someone you already know may not be the best course of action. If Vitt can help Payton reestablish what winning looks like in Denver, so be it. However, the AFC West already has two teams that are markedly better than them in the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers.

Given that Payton is an offensive-minded coach, he has put a lot of trust and faith into Vitt over the years. If he thinks a guy who has been out of the league for two years and let Gase marry his daughter can help him, then by all means, go for it. But with that in mind, how soon until we see Gase back in Denver doing offensive-minded things as a Payton coaching rehab project of sorts?

It was in Denver where Gase first started to make a name for himself as John Fox’s hotshot offensive coordinator. Unfortunately, he took two bad jobs in a row over in the AFC East and his NFL stock cratered to zero. Not to say Payton needs any offensive help, but he does have Gase’s father-in-law in the building now. At the very least, the Broncos should have an interesting team.

This is an underrated move made by Payton, but there could be ancillary effects stemming from it.