Once upon a time in New Orleans, Sean Payton was viewed as an offensive savant with a gambler’s nerve. He took over a Saints franchise coming off a 3-13 season in 2005 and flipped its entire identity almost overnight. In his first year, the Saints went 10-6, reached the NFC Championship Game, and announced themselves as contenders.
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Then three seasons later in The Crescent City, Payton delivered the ultimate payoff by winning the Super Bowl XLIV title, the first in franchise history. While Sean didn’t go on to win any more Lombardi’s after that, he ensured that the Saints were a force to be reckoned with throughout his tenure.
Under Payton, New Orleans finished with a .631 regular-season winning percentage, made 9 playoff appearances, won 7 NFC South titles, and consistently fielded elite offenses. Now fast forward to Denver, and the story sounds familiar and even faster.
In Sean Payton’s Year 1 at Denver, the Broncos went 8-9. In Year 2, the Broncos jumped to 10-7 and returned to the playoffs. And now in Year 3, Payton has them at 14-3, the AFC’s No. 1 seed, and playing in the AFC Championship game this weekend. His regular-season record in Denver now sits at 32-19, with two playoff appearances in three years.
That acceleration is what caught the attention of Kay Adams, who summed up Payton’s method with a mix of admiration and disbelief during a segment on her show. “My respect and affection for Sean Payton and his relentlessness and the way this maniac operates is well documented,” Adams began.
The analyst then pointed out how Payton now sits on the brink of something unprecedented: becoming the first coach in NFL history to win a Super Bowl with two different franchises. “That’s been on my mind since he took the Broncos job,” she admitted, adding that the opportunity is arriving “a little sooner than even I thought.”
Here’s why this Super Bowl win would make Sean Payton undeniable:@heykayadams pic.twitter.com/3fTwUCya2F
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) January 21, 2026
What impressed Adams even more was how Denver reached this point, as Payton did it while navigating quarterback uncertainty. First with Russell Wilson in his first two years, and now with Bo Nix’s injury. However, Adams believes Payton enjoys these situations, even the one he is currently in, where he has to beat the Patriots with backup Jarrett Stidham at the helm.
“To do it with a backup quarterback… I think he relishes that. He’s like, ‘Watch. Bet. I’m going to do this,’” she said. In her view, that mindset is what pushes Payton into rare air alongside coaching legends like Andy Reid, Bill Walsh, Joe Gibbs, and Bill Parcells — a name Payton himself constantly reveres.
Adams acknowledged Payton’s past makes him a “complicated Hall of Fame case,” but she was clear about what another Super Bowl would mean. It would make him “undeniable,” elevating him above contemporaries with similar longevity and hardware.
Considering all this, it makes sense why Kay Adams called Sean Payton a maniac. Taking a 5-12 team like Denver to the AFC Championship in three years is not how things normally work. But with Payton, it is.
