Payton Considered Stepping Down for Belichick

According to ESPN's Seth Wickersham, Sean Payton considered suggesting to Broncos owner Greg Penner that he would step back to assistant head coach after the Patriots fired Bill Belichick following the 2023 season. The plan would have allowed Belichick to remain until he won 15 games, breaking Don Shula's all-time record of 347 wins.

Belichick had 333 total wins at that time, 14 behind Shula. The idea, described as "too complicated — and maybe too fanciful," was Payton thinking out loud out of respect for Belichick. With Belichick having only one NFL interview in three hiring cycles, the plan might have been his only realistic chance to catch Shula's record. cricket-ipl.co.za