When one thinks of brilliant play-callers in the NFL, several coaches come to mind: among them may be Andy Reid and Matt LeFleur, among others. But in nearly every conversation comes Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay and Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton.
"I consider him a good friend," Payton said of McVay after practice on Wednesday. "I would think the one thing we had in common a little bit is both of us cut our teeth under [Jon] Gruden at some point, myself in 1997 (with the Philadelphia Eagles) and then Sean later (in 2008 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers). He’s done a fabulous job coming to an organization that had recently just moved to L.A."
🗣️Sean Payton on Sean McVay: "I consider him a good friend...he's done a fabulous job coming
to an organization that had recently just moved to LA, and then just the year in year out success."#broncoscountry https://t.co/8BOtG5IfXl pic.twitter.com/WBIpyYL4Bg
— Guerilla Sports (@guerillasports) September 23, 2026
McVay can trace his playcalling prowess to the Mike Shanahan coaching tree, one of the most successful coaching branches in NFL history, considering Shanahan himself was a branch of the tree of the late San Francisco 49ers coach Bill Walsh. Payton came from Hall of Famer Bill Parcells' legendary coaching tree, and both have mastered offensive game planning. Payton pointed to McVay's prolonged success as a reason for his greatness.
"The year-in and year-out success — that’s really what you begin to look at with coaches," Payton said. "I have a ton of respect for him. He’s sharp. You watch his film, it’s good film always to watch."
While McVay will still be calling plays for reigning NFL MVP Matthew Stafford on the Rams' sideline during Sunday Night Football, Payton has since passed the reins to offensive coordinator Davis Webb.
Both teams come into Sunday with a 1-1 record, eyeing the chance to establish themselves on championship-level footing. This game will likely be a big one in the grand scheme of the season.
"It’ll be a good challenge," Payton said.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Broncos coach Sean Payton has ‘a ton of respect’ for Rams coach Sean McVay
