{"id":180308,"date":"2023-01-08T02:31:02","date_gmt":"2023-01-08T02:31:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/broncos-receive-permission-to-interview-payton-sources-say\/"},"modified":"2023-01-08T02:31:02","modified_gmt":"2023-01-08T02:31:02","slug":"broncos-receive-permission-to-interview-payton-sources-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/broncos-receive-permission-to-interview-payton-sources-say\/","title":{"rendered":"Broncos receive permission to interview Payton, sources say"},"content":{"rendered":"
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ENGLEWOOD, Col. — The Denver Broncos have formally requested, and received, permission from the New Orleans Saints to interview Sean Payton for the Broncos’ vacant head coaching job.<\/p>\n

Sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Saturday that the Broncos, who fired Nathaniel Hackett Dec. 26 after a 4-11 record in his 15-game tenure, had formally made the request to the Saints. Payton stepped down as Saints coach in January 2022 after 15 seasons.<\/p>\n

The Saints still hold Payton’s contractual rights so any team that wants to hire Payton will have to come to an agreement with the Saints about compensation. Payton and the Saints agreed to a five-year extension in 2019 that would have run through the 2024 season. The Broncos and Saints do not have to — and haven’t — agreed to compensation for Payton to be interviewed, sources said. That would come later if talks advance to that state. But the Saints could have denied permission for Payton to be interviewed by any team if they wished.<\/p>\n

The NFL has informed the Broncos the team cannot interview Peyton in person until Jan. 17 at the earliest.<\/p>\n

Broncos owner\/CEO Greg Penner promised the day after Hackett was fired to lead a comprehensive search that would include coaches with head-coaching experience as well as candidates who had not yet been head coaches.<\/p>\n

“We’ve got to get this right,” Penner said.<\/p>\n

The Broncos do not have the same kind of draft capital as some teams do given they traded five draft picks — two first-rounders, two second-rounders and a fifth-rounder — to go with three players to the Seattle Seahawks last March to acquire quarterback Russell Wilson.<\/p>\n