Peyton Manning Breaks Silence on Denver Broncos Trading for Head Coach Sean Payton

The Denver Broncos made a big move during the offseason when the team traded for former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton. Peyton Manning, who led the Broncos to a Super Bowl title during the 2015 season, has broken his silence on the move. While speaking to reporters at the Manning Passing Academy at Nicholls State University on Friday, Manning said he was "all in" on the trade. 

"The Walton family and [Broncos GM] George Paton and I have a good relationship," Manning said, per Outkick.com.  "So, yeah, I certainly was all in on Sean." Manning went on to say that Payton, who was working for Fox Sports last year, will have success in Denver. 

"I could tell he wanted to get back in it," Manning said. "I could tell he was looking for a committed organization and ownership that gave him the great support that he got in New Orleans from the Benson family. I think he definitely found that with the Broncos' new ownership. They're going to give him what he needs and what he wants."  

Payton was the head coach of the Saints from 2006 to 2011 and then from 2013 to 2021. He led the Saints to a Super Bowl during the 2009 season, and the interesting about that is the Saints won the title by beating Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. Following the 2021 season, Payton announced his retirement from coaching but by January 2023 had begun interviewing for coaching vacancies. The reason the Broncos had to trade for Payton is he was still under contract with the Saints. Denver agreed to trade its first-round pick from this year as well as a second-round pick in 2024. In return, the Broncos got Payton and a 2024 third-round pick from the Saints. During his introductory press conference, Payton revealed the one goal he has for the Broncos. 

"Win a Super Bowl. Win multiple — win," Sean Payton said Monday at his introductory press conference, per the Denver Gazette. "It's important here. Look, I've had a number of opportunities maybe to go somewhere and it just — here you are, there's no other city that's sold out as often as this city is with their football team, in fact in all of sports.

"That's important. That passion is important, that crowd noise. I don't want to play somewhere or coach somewhere where half of the visiting fans are coming from the opponents' team. I know that's not the case here. Winning."