Sean Payton was in the mix for four coaching openings across the NFL during the 2023 offseason. The veteran coach seemingly had his pick of the lot among those opportunities but eventually landed with the Broncos.
Now, Payton's former Fox Sports co-worker Terry Bradshaw is shedding some light on the veteran coach's process in choosing Denver.
More specifically, Bradshaw was asked at the Super Bowl Experience why Payton didn't choose to coach the Cardinals, who have still yet to hire a coach. Bradshaw told Altitude Sports Radio the decision had everything to do with Kyler Murray.
Arizona? No, that quarterback. He don't want to work with the quarterback.
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This is somewhat surprising given that NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported that Payton was a "fan" of Murray as the NFL's hiring cycle began to heat up.
However, it's noteworthy that Murray is coming off a torn ACL and had his work ethic and coachability come into question during the 2022 season. Perhaps those issues were enough to scare Payton away.
That said, Bradshaw indicated that Payton may not be enthralled with his quarterback choice in Denver either when asked point-blank if Payton would prefer working with Russell Wilson over Murray.
"I don't think so," Bradshaw said with a laugh. "But you know what, that's all he's got. He's got no choice. But I'll tell you one thing, he'll get the most out of him."
Terry Bradshaw knew about Sean Payton.
— 92.5 FM - Denver's Altitude Sports Radio (@AltitudeSR) February 7, 2023
Vic knew Terry knew.
Here’s the scoop:@VicLombardi | @AltitudeTV | @NFLonFOX | @SuperBookSports | #SuperBowl | #BroncosCountry pic.twitter.com/SPov3bEAfI
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Payton detailed during his job search that finding a team with an established quarterback was one of his top priorities. So evidently, he must have some faith in Wilson after the 34-year-old veteran endured his worst-ever season in his first year with the Broncos.
But certainly, if Bradshaw is correct about this being a marriage of convenience over desire, then the Payton-Wilson tandem may not last long. And that would be especially true if the quarterback's regression proves to be permanent.
