ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- 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.
The Broncos fired Nathaniel Hackett on Dec. 26 after a 4-11 record in his 15-game tenure. Payton stepped down as Saints coach in January 2022 after 15 seasons.
On Sunday, Payton, currently a Fox Sports analyst, confirmed he has spoken with Broncos ownership.
"Denver's the first team and I was able to have a conversation with their owner and that's kind of the protocol," Payton said on Fox Sports.