Sean Payton leaving a job is why he is here.
He is no longer calling plays. It is like asking Paul McCartney to only play bass for the Beatles. For 15 years, no one was better at piling up points than Payton.
In his previous life in New Orleans, Payton always had the answers as the voice in Drew Brees’ head. But that was 1,300 miles away.
And $18 million ago. That is his annual salary.
With an organization’s hopes in his grip, with his Hall of Fame bid hanging in the balance, Payton was brought here to make decisions like this.
He wasn’t hired to deliver a winning record, even if one was desperately needed after a seven-year drought, or capture an AFC West title, or post a playoff victory.
It was never about that.
It has always been about this: winning a Super Bowl.
That is why he makes more money than any coach in Broncos history. He is a legendary culture builder. And no NFL boss pushes the right buttons as an underdog like Payton.
But to achieve a championship — “Go The Distance,” aka GTD, the new offseason slogan — he was brought in to make tough choices, including about himself.
Want to throttle up the offense? Promote The Mad Scientist.
Thursday offered the media’s first chance to see Davis Webb — “The Mad Scientist,” Courtland Sutton said — calling plays.
It is June. There are no pads. And Bo Nix is still recovering from a check-up procedure on his ankle after an offseason of the Broncos putting their foot in their mouth about his health.
But watching Webb speak into the walkie-talkie, seeing Evan Engram look reborn and Jaylen Waddle turn routes into blurs, there was an obvious conclusion to draw: this should work.
It is time for a new chapter. For Payton to transition into a CEO position.
This is how he can achieve the ultimate goal. At Thursday’s practice, Payton showed a willingness to fade into the background, watching from a distance, glancing at his play sheet and providing pointers to receivers.
Webb was steering the wheel. And he looked comfortable in the cockpit.
“Itap a combination of things that he has learned from coach Payton and things that he has liked and seen from his own experience of playing and coaching in this league. I know he is ready. There is not a thought behind it,” Sutton said. “I know that he is ready and being able to listen to the way he coaches and the way he is teaching the terminology to us on the field and in the classroom has been amazing.”
Webb, 31, has the hardest job outside of Rockies pitching coach. Working for Payton is a challenge, and now he is taking over one of the coach’s favorite things to do.
Regardless of how Payton relinquished the role — cajoling, self-reflection, kicking and screaming — it was the right decision. Payton can provide a 10,000-foot view, blending his experience with Webb’s innovation.
During the open viewing session, the Broncos ran a lot of three-wide. Sutton and Waddle showed why they will be a problem — good luck to defensive coordinators deciding where to slide coverage — and Engram lost linebackers easier than Ozempic does weight.
Maybe Payton and Webb were just showing off for the cameras.
But the way the players talk about Webb is inspiring confidence. Nix has been all in since he met him. Garett Bolles calls him “scary smart,” saying on the “Up and Adams” podcast a few weeks ago that he is not “afraid to put everything on the line and let it rip.”
Think of Payton as Robin Williams and Webb as Will Hunting.
All those screams from Nix to the sidelines, all those punts (third most in the league), don’t lie.
Payton can still dial up gash plays, but the mechanics of communicating them to Nix have become problematic.
Into this equation comes Webb. He is an obvious solution. And not just for the reasons mentioned above.
Everyone knows Webb has a high football IQ. He has been keeping notebooks of plays since high school, which he later converted to PDF files. He is cerebral.
But that is not what has me convinced that Webb can pull this off.
It is Webb, the person, the player. Webb brings a swagger, an edge, a presence, a thick skin. He walks into the room at 6-foot-5, 220-ish pounds and fills the space. He is a former quarterback in every way.
Even if his ideas get squashed, he is not afraid to speak up to Payton. Just like Nix. Friction is a defining quality in any productive relationship with Payton.
And the good part, when it comes to squeezing every ounce of juice out of this offense? Webb bet on himself.
Talking to industry folks over the last several months, it is clear that Webb nearly landed head-coaching jobs with the Raiders and Bills. If he wanted to play the iron off the tee box, Webb could have stayed in his role as the Broncos quarterbacks coach.
He did not need to call plays to land a head coaching job next offseason.
Like backup quarterbacks, assistant coaches benefit from the great unknown.
And yet, Webb muscled his way into a promotion with his performance the past two seasons, his first as a coach since retiring from the NFL.
Payton wasn’t giving up his play-calling for just anyone. Webb was in the building, and with his interview list long, it drove home what Payton already knew.
Now was the time, like it or not, to hand off the play-calling.
It would be naive to suggest Webb won’t struggle, hit rough patches. He has not developed the scar tissue to overcome a second-and-25 after a failed reverse, or a fourth-down stop when the defense makes it look like Webb was tipping his pitches.
But that is what makes this so fascinating. Will Payton show patience after the third three-and-out? He must, or this is all so much cotton candy, empty calories.
Webb must microwave his development. And he needs Payton’s help.
The coach can provide institutional knowledge, in-game advice, and Webb can see the defense through a current quarterback’s eyes.
Time is ticking faster than the play clock on this experiment. If it goes well, Webb will be a head coach in February.
There is a lot to like here, particularly if you want an offense that features a modern twist.
The Broncos have a duo that can make this team better.
Webb is ready. And if this goes as planned, a Super Bowl berth will cement Payton’s Hall of Fame legacy.
