Broncos coach Sean Payton wants to outlast Roger Goodell in the NFL

In a brilliant behind-the-scenes look at coach Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos' 2025 playoff run, ESPN's Seth Wickersham revealed an interesting tidbit about how long Payton could coach in the NFL.

Payton, 62, signed a five-year contract with the Broncos this offseason that will keep him under contract through the 2030 season. After signing that deal, Payton said he still enjoys coaching and until that stops, he won't consider stepping away from the game.

There's more to it than that, though. From Wickersham's ESPN story:

He has always said that it'll be time to walk away from coaching either a year after Goodell retires, just so that Payton can outlast him, or "when the wins feel too much like relief and the losses like agony." It won't be an easy decision, but he'll know. Or thinks he'll know. Or hopes.

Payton's rocky relationship with the NFL's league office dates back to commissioner Roger Goodell suspending Payton for the entire 2012 NFL season following an investigation into the "Bountygate" scandal. Payton has said he'll "never truly get over" how the NFL handled that investigation and "the reasons behind it," and it seems apparent that he still holds a grudge against Goodell.

Goodell signed a three-year extension with the league in 2023. That deal expires in March 2027, and unless he receives another extension (which is possible), Goodell might be entering his final season with the NFL. So Payton's goal of outlasting Goodell seems to be within reach, especially if he sticks around for his full five-year deal in Denver.

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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Broncos coach Sean Payton wants to outlast Roger Goodell in the NFL