Broncos head coach Sean Payton says the rebuilding effort he’s undergoing in Denver took a big step forward this season.
Payton said that when he compares where the Broncos are this year, after they made the playoffs, they’re in much better shape than in his first season in 2023.
“We’re a lot closer than we were at this time a year ago. That was misery, sorrow, drudgery — give me some other adjectives — just, that was brutal. Let’s say that.”
The biggest difference with the Broncos this year is that they have quarterback Bo Nix, who had a strong rookie season. Last year they were in the midst of recovering from the disaster that was trading for Russell Wilson and giving him a huge new contract. With the right quarterback in place, Payton can do big things in Denver.
Broncos edge rusher Nik Bonitto became eligible for a contract extension at the end of the season and he did a good job of entering that category on a high note.
Bonitto, who was a 2022 second-round pick, had eight sacks as a rotational player in 2023 and became a major reason why the team’s defense improved by leaps and bounds in 2024 by moving up to 13.5 sacks in a starting role. He had 24 quarterback hits overall and he scored a pair of touchdowns while helping the team to the playoffs.
During a Wednesday press conference, Broncos General Manager George Paton said that the team “would love to have Nik here long term” but that the two sides have not had any conversations about a new deal at this point.
Bonitto wound up the year as a second-team All-Pro and his price tag will only go up if he keeps progressing the way he has over his first three seasons. It remains to be seen if the Broncos are willing to take that risk or if they’ll move to lock him up before the final year of his rookie deal.
Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph interviewed remotely with the Jets for their head coaching job on Wednesday.
The Jets announced the completion of the interview on Wednesday afternoon. It’s the first interview for Joseph this cycle, but the Raiders have also requested permission to speak with him.
Joseph’s second season in his return to Denver came to an end with last Sunday’s loss to the Bills in the Wild Card round. The Broncos’ return to the postseason was due in large part to their improvement on the defensive side of the ball and they ended the season third in points allowed after finishing 27th in that category the previous season.
Joseph’s first Broncos stint was when he was their head coach in 2017 and 2018. Joseph went 11-21 and then returned to Sean Payton’s staff after working in Arizona as the Cardinals’ defensive coordinator.
The Jets have now interviewed 10 candidates, but only nine remain in the mix with Mike Vrabel off the market after agreeing to a deal with the Patriots. That number is set to grow on Thursday with an interview of Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
The Bears completed an interview with Broncos senior personnel executive David Shaw for their vacant head coaching job, the team reports.
Shaw, 52, was Stanford’s head coach from 2011-22, compiling a 96-54 record with the Cardinal and three Pac-12 conference titles. Before returning to his alma mater to coach in 2007, he was an NFL assistant with the Eagles, Raiders, and Ravens.
He officially joined the Broncos in June 2024.
The Bears have completed interviews with interim head coach Thomas Brown, former Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, former Commanders and Panthers coach Ron Rivera and Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver. They also talked to Mike Vrabel before the Patriots hired him.
The Bears also have requested to interview Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell, Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman, Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, former Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy, Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and Packers offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich.
Nothing draws eyeballs like pro football, but the first five games of the 2024 playoffs didn’t draw them quite like they did a year ago.
On Saturday afternoon, Chargers-Texans averaged 31.1 million on CBS, via Austin Karp of Sports Business Journal. That was an increase from last year’s 29 million who watched the Browns-Texans opener.
Saturday night’s streaming-only game on Prime Video, Steelers-Ravens, did 22.07 million. Last year’s streaming-only game on Peacock averaged 22.86 million.
The 1:00 p.m. ET game on Sunday between the Broncos and Bills averaged 31.1 million viewers. That’s roughly the same, per Karp, as last year’s Steelers-Bills game, which was moved to Monday afternoon due to a snowstorm.
The 4:30 p.m. ET game averaged 35.6 million on Fox. Last year, Packers-Cowboys in the same window drew 40.2 million. (Yes, the Cowboys still draw.)
The Sunday night game between the Commanders and Buccaneers on NBC and Peacock averaged 29 million, per Karp. Last year’s Sunday night Rams-Lions game generated 36 million.
The Monday night game between the Vikings and Rams averaged 25.4 million. Last year’s Eagles-Buccaneers game on Monday night averaged 28.6 million.
Only one of the games — Commanders-Buccaneers — was decided late. The other games featured victory margins of 20 points, 14 points, 24 points, 12 points, and 18 points.
Also, this year’s Wild Card rounds didn’t include two of the biggest draws: the Cowboys and the Chiefs.
