Sean Payton's take about Broncos' Super Bowl chances should raise eyebrows

The Denver Broncos haven't won a playoff game since Super Bowl 50. Head coach Sean Payton expects that to change in 2025. 

Payton won a Super Bowl as New Orleans Saints HC during the 2009 season. He says the 2025 Broncos could do the same. 

"The short-term goal is winning the division," Payton told Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson in a story published Sunday. "But this is a team capable of winning the Super Bowl. I've coached six teams that I thought could win the Super Bowl. Some went to championship games, some went to the playoffs. This is my seventh team that I think has that."

After losing to the Buffalo Bills 31-7 in the AFC wild-card round last season, the Broncos splurged in free agency. They signed tight end Evan Engram, safety Talanoa Hufanga, linebacker Dre Greenlaw and running back J.K. Dobbins. Greenlaw and Hufanga helped the San Francisco 49ers reach Super Bowl LVIII during the 2023 season. 

Many of Denver's stars are also returning, including cornerback Patrick Surtain II and quarterback Bo Nix. The second-year passer tossed the league's sixth-most touchdown passes (29 in 17 starts) during his rookie season. Payton thinks that's just a taste of what's to come.

"[Nix is] going to be one of the top four or five quarterbacks in the league in the next two years," the coach said. "That's what we're seeing right now. He doesn't take sacks. He's got exceptional arm strength. ... He threw the longest ball — [67] air yards against [the Cincinnati Bengals]. He can run. He can throw in funny body angles."