Sean Payton Discusses Broncos Addition of Two Former 49ers

I would say we felt good coming out of it. We felt like our team got better from a football makeup standpoint, and toughness. And we’ll continue to use that momentum as we get closer to the draft and even after the draft.

Quite honestly — we would have had a much more difficult time signing them, had there not been prior injuries. We felt with those guys, that there’s always that risk valuation that’s measured in and we felt pretty good about it. We feel like in our program, we will be smart enough to understand their workload and all the things to try and get them healthy for the field. But there’s always some risk with that.

Payton acknowledged the coincidence of signing two players from the same defense. He noted that both filled positional needs for Denver, while adding that the opportunity to continue to play together may have helped.

Hufanga was a first-team All-Pro safety in 2022, however, he has appeared in just 17 games over the past two seasons. He signed a three-year, $45 million deal with $20 million in guarantees at the onset of free agency.

Greenlaw joined the Broncos soon after, signing a three-year, $35 million contract with $11.5 million in guarantees. He appeared in just two games in 2024.