New Broncos head coach Sean Payton said Monday that he had not yet finalized anything with his staff. It is clear, however, that he’s knee-deep in the hiring process.
Payton is interviewing defensive coordinator candidate Sean Desai on Tuesday via Zoom, a source confirmed to The Post. Payton has a busy week organized including television work with FOX Monday night in Los Angeles and then throughout the rest of the week in Arizona in the run-up to the Super Bowl.
Desai is a defensive assistant for Seattle and is a disciple of Vic Fangio, the former Broncos’ head coach, dating to the pair’s years together in Chicago.
Payton was also set to interview Pittsburgh linebackers coach Brian Flores for the defensive coordinator post, but ESPN and NFL Network reported late Monday afternoon that Flores was set to accept Minnesota’s defensive coordinator position.
That would mean Payton has to interview at least one more candidate for the position. Because Ejiro Evero left for Carolina, Denver must satisfy the Rooney Rule for coordinators, which includes interviewing a minimum of two external minority or female candidates.
Meanwhile, the Post confirmed an NFL Network report Monday that Payton plans to hire Zach Strief as Denver’s offensive line coach. Strief started 94 games and played in 156 for New Orleans as an offensive lineman between 2006 — Payton’s first year as the head coach there — and 2017. Strief spent the past two seasons as New Orleans’ assistant offensive line coach.
Bringing on Strief means that interim offensive line coach Ben Steele will likely not return in 2023. He was Denver’s assistant offensive line coach most of the season and took over the room for the final two weeks after Butch Barry was fired Dec. 26.
Heavy recruitment. Payton didn’t just get recruited by Denver’s ownership group during the process. He heard from running back Latavius Murray, who played for New Orleans in 2020 and 2021, too.
“He’s a super guy,” Payton said of Murray. “He’s one of those guys you like being around. We had a great experience with him in New Orleans. I got a text right at the end of the season. He said, ‘Man, we have to find a way to get you here — me and backfield teammate.’ … I texted and said, ‘Who is your backfield teammate?’ He sent the number 3. It was Christmas time and I said, ‘Be careful what you’re asking Santa for.’ That was my response. We kind of went from there.”
Murray, of course, was referring to quarterback Russell Wilson.
Wilson reached out, too, though Payton jokingly referenced the fact that the Miami Dolphins were found to have violated the NFL’s tampering policies last year when they had prohibited contact with him.
“When he called, right away I thought, ‘Man, I’m the last person that needs to get in trouble with the league,’” Payton said with a laugh.
In the end, Wilson used quarterback Drew Brees, whom he described in January as one of his close friends, as an intermediary. Brees and Wilson, according to Payton, have homes in the same Del Mar area in Southern California.
“Drew said, ‘Russell is wearing me out,’” Payton recalled. “I said, ‘Drew we’re going to give you a little spot in the program. We’ll call you the senior assistant of Del Mar.’”
Final countdown. Payton threw a few zingers during his news conference and one ended up in the direction of former coach Nathaniel Hackett and his early season game management struggles in 2022.
Payton fielded a question about being a good game manager and said playing quarterback, learning from Bill Parcells and having 15 years of head coaching experience under his belt all help in that regard.
“I became more and more comfortable, and yet I still want to hear those assistants in my ear always relative to timeout usage, fourth quarter,” Payton said. “But yeah, I don’t anticipate the crowd having to count down the 30-second clock.”
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