Broncos’ Sean Payton drops confident claim on Vance Joseph’s future

Many felt that Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph would get one of the multiple vacancies for head coach this offseason. He was interviewed several times. He was ripe for another chance to call the shots.

It, however, was not meant to be. Joseph did not get the call. He returned to the Broncos, which was bittersweet for head coach Sean Payton. But that is life in the NFL.

Now that he has moved forward, the 53-year-old Joseph is focused on helping toughen the Broncos. Denver had one of the top-ranked defenses last season, allowing just 278.2 yards and 18.3 points per game.

The 62-year-old Payton said he is happy to have his deputy back at his side, but he expressed confidence that Joseph will get another crack at the main chair.

“I’m thrilled he’s back, selfishly, and yet, there’s that part of me that, with what he was able to do and how that benefited our team, I’m quite sure he’s gonna have another shot at this thing, and I’ll do anything and everything to help him,” said Payton, who recently signed a new five-year contract, in a media conference.

“He’s been fantastic to work with. His command of the room, the players on defense, what they’re doing is super impressive.”

Sean Payton on Vance Joseph returning to the Broncos:

"I'm thrilled he's back…selfishly."#BroncosCountry pic.twitter.com/2IaAkQM20n

— Guerilla Sports (@guerillasports) June 11, 2026

Joseph tried his luck with the Arizona Cardinals, the Baltimore Ravens, the Las Vegas Raiders, the New York Giants, and the Tennessee Titans.

He is in his second stint with the Broncos. He served as the team’s head coach in 2017 and 2018. He, however, had little success, posting an 11-21 record.

After getting fired, he signed with the Cardinals as defensive coordinator before returning to Denver in 2023.

Since then, he has transformed the Broncos’ defense into one of the most vaunted in the NFL, led by cornerback Patrick Surtain II, defensive end Zach Allen, and linebacker Nik Bonitto.

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