The Denver Broncos have requested and received permission from the New Orleans Saints to interview Sean Payton for their vacant head coaching position, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Broncos, who fired Nathaniel Hackett Dec. 26 after a 4-11 record in his 15-game tenure, had formally made the request to the Saints. Payton stepped down as Saints coach in January 2022 after 15 seasons.
The Saints still hold Payton’s contractual rights so any team that wants to hire Payton will have to come to an agreement with the Saints about compensation. Payton and the Saints agreed to a five-year extension in 2019 that would have run through the 2024 season. The Broncos and Saints do not have to — and haven’t — agreed to compensation for Payton to be interviewed, sources said. That would come later if talks advance to that state. But the Saints could have denied permission for Payton to be interviewed by any team if they wished.
The NFL has informed the Broncos the team cannot interview Peyton in person until Jan. 17 at the earliest.
The Denver Broncos requested and received permission from the New Orleans Saints to interview Sean Payton for their head coach job, league sources tell ESPN.
The NFL ruled that any in-person interview with Payton cannot be conducted until at least January 17, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 7, 2023
The Broncos requested and received permission from the Saints to interview Sean Payton for their head coach job, per @AdamSchefter pic.twitter.com/VSl1CMbgdS
— PFF (@PFF) January 7, 2023