Broncos coach Sean Payton reveals that he once considered stepping down to make way for Bill Belichick.

An intriguing story from the NFL.

After the 2023 season, coaching legend Bill Belichick was fired by the New England Patriots.

Now, “ESPN” reports that Broncos head coach Sean Payton “considered” at the time suggesting to team owner Greg Penner that he step down to the position of assistant head coach so the team could hire Belichick as head coach.

The background: Belichick was supposed to have held the position as Broncos coach until he had won 15 games and thus broken Don Shula’s all-time win record.

Payton’s idea too “complicated”

Belichick has a total of 333 NFL wins to his credit, 14 fewer than Shula.

At that point, Payton had completed his first season as head coach of the Broncos. Last January, during the NFL playoffs, he spoke with an “ESPN” reporter about his thoughts at the time.

However, he said implementing his idea would have been “too complicated—and perhaps too far-fetched.”