Broncos reach deal with Saints to hire Payton as coach
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Denver Broncos have agreed to a deal with the New Orleans Saints that will make Sean Payton their head coach, a person with knowledge of the accord said Tuesday.
The person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the teams hadn't announced the agreement, said the Broncos would send their first-round pick, No. 29 overall, in this year's draft to the Saints along with a future second-rounder.
Payton remained under contract with New Orleans after stepping down from the Saints last season and working in broadcasting this season.
The Broncos, who went 5-12 this season and extended their playoff drought to seven years, fired rookie coach Nathaniel Hackett on Dec. 26 after he went 4-11. Interim coach Jerry Rosburg went 1-1.
Payton's top task will be to get quarterback Russell Wilson back to his winning ways after the 11-year pro had his worst statistical season following his blockbuster trade from Seattle for four premium draft picks and three players.
The Broncos dealt their firstand second-round picks to the Seahawks for Wilson. They got back into the first round by trading pass rusher Bradley Chubb to the Miami Dolphins, who sent the Broncos a firstrounder originally owned by the San Francisco 49ers.
That selection, the 29th overall pick, now belongs to the Saints.
Payton also interviewed for the Carolina Panthers' head coaching vacancy.
Rodgers in no hurry to decide his future
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said he doesn’t expect to make a decision on whether to play next season until after the Super Bowl.
Rodgers, 39, has said he is still making up his mind on whether he wants to return to the Packers for a 19th season, retire or request a trade. The four-time MVP also has noted the possibility the Packers may want to move him.
“It’s going to be a little more time for my decision,” Rodgers said Tuesday during his weekly appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on SiriusXM and YouTube. “I feel confident that in a couple of weeks I’ll feel definitely more strongly about one of the two decisions.”
The first decision is whether he wants to play at all.
“You’ve got to be cognizant of what was going through your mind during the season,” Rodgers said. “Did you enjoy the grind as much? Did you enjoy practice? Did you enjoy the meeting time? Did you enjoy the routine? And not forget about those feelings and make an emotional response either way. I think that’s important.”
Rodgers was the league MVP in 2020 and 2021, but didn’t perform as well this season while playing with a broken right thumb and dealing with the absence of star wideout Davante Adams, who was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders in March.
Titans make switch to synthetic turf
The Tennessee Titans are tearing up the grass field at Nissan Stadium and replacing it with a synthetic surface before the 2023 season.
The team, which already has started work, is making the change after reviewing injury rates and knowing how difficult it is to grow grass at Nissan Stadium since it opened in 1999.
Ravens QB Huntley named to Pro Bowl
Tyler Huntley, who played in six games for the Ravens this season filling in for injured quarterback Lamar Jackson, has been named to the Pro Bowl roster as a replacement for injured Buffalo Bills starter Josh Allen.
The AFC roster initially included three quarterbacks: Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals and Allen. However, with Mahomes preparing for the Super Bowl and Allen sitting out, two alternates were added to the roster.