Last summer, Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton made it no secret that he believed he had a Super Bowl-caliber squad going into the 2025 campaign.
"I’ve coached six teams that I thought could win the Super Bowl," Payton told Yahoo's Charles Robinson last August. Some went to championship games, some to the playoffs. This is my seventh team that I think has that.”
The Broncos went on to go 14-3 last season, securing the No. 1 playoff seed in the AFC playoffs. If not for losing quarterback Bo Nix to a broken ankle in the divisional round, Denver likely would have reached the Super Bowl. So Payton's estimation of his squad was arguably accurate.
This year, Payton still has confidence in his roster, but his approach has been different. He has emphasized
to players that they can't count on repeating last season's success. It's a new year with new challenges.
"There's nothing promised — having won however many games — for the following year, regardless of the percentage of people that are back or people that aren't back," Payton said in July.
That said, Payton does consider the 2026 squad a Super Bowl-caliber unit.
“Yeah, this is one of them," Payton said. "I think you have to play good defense to be one of those teams. You have to get good quarterback play. You have to be good on the offensive and defensive lines. You have to be well coached. I think we’re all of the above.”
The Broncos will get their first opportunity to prove that last season wasn't a fluke when they go on the road to take on the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football in Week 1.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Sean Payton believes Broncos have a Super Bowl-caliber team in 2026
