Sean Payton had an unrealized plan to hire Belichick for Broncos: report
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Bill Belichick may be the head football coach at the University of North Carolina, but there was almost a plan to get him back to the NFL, thanks to a fellow head coach with whom he has great connections.
Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton and Bill Belichick go back years. Both served on Bill Parcells’ staff, albeit at different times, before crossing paths as NFL head coaches.
In a detailed story about Payton and the Broncos’ playoff appearances last season, which culminated in an AFC Championship Game loss to Belichick’s former New England Patriots, ESPN reported He said Payton had the idea of going to Broncos owner Greg Penner and hiring Belichick as the team’s interim head coach until it reached 15 wins.
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North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick is on the sideline during the first quarter at Kenan Stadium on Sept. 1, 2025. (Bob Donnan/Imagn Images)
This outright win total would allow Belichick to surpass the great Don Shula for the all-time coaching wins record.
The report stated that Payton would still be on the staff as the assistant head coach, and once Belichick reaches his winning total, Payton would take over as head coach.
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Ultimately, Payton did not formally make an offer to Penner, deciding that the offer would be too complicated and that Belichick would need to agree on his end.
Nothing like this has happened in football, but it reopens the question of Belichick’s history in the league, which has been the subject of much discussion since he parted ways with the Patriots.
While Belichick’s impact on football is unprecedented, it was overshadowed when he found himself at the center of controversy during the recent Pro Football Hall of Fame ballot.
Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton reacts during the first half against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on September 24, 2023 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
Belichick was not a Hall of Famer on the first ballot; Tom Brady and others were stunned that the second-most winningest coach in history had not already had a bust commissioned for the halls of Canton, Ohio. But some voters considered the controversy involving Spygate during Belichick’s time in Foxborough and believed he was not yet worthy of the honor.
Since his departure from the NFL, many have wondered if Belichick would surpass Shula’s win total. That question remained even after he took the vacant job at North Carolina for the first time as a college head coach.
And Belichick’s legacy still hangs over him, especially after his steadfast stance that he will see out his role with the Tar Heels in his second season despite rumors that he will entertain NFL head coaching vacancies after the 2025 season.
North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick greets a recruit on the sideline before the NCAA college football game against Stanford on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
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As of now, Belichick is content to lead the charge in Chapel Hill, while Payton aims to get the Broncos back to the Super Bowl in 2026.
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