Sean Payton came up with an unusual plan last season: temporarily hand the Denver Broncos head coaching job to Bill Belichick so Belichick could break the all-time NFL wins record.
ESPN reported the story in a detailed piece about Payton and the Broncos' 2025 season, which ended with a loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. According to Fox News, Payton had the idea of approaching Broncos owner Greg Penner with a proposal to bring Belichick in as a temporary head coach until he reached 15 wins. That number would have pushed Belichick past Don Shula, who currently holds the record for most wins in NFL coaching history.
Under the plan, Payton would have remained on the staff as assistant head coach and then taken the head coaching job back once Belichick hit the milestone. The two coaches have a long history together, both having served on Bill Parcells' staff at different times before their careers crossed again as NFL head coaches.
Payton ultimately decided not to formally bring the idea to Penner. He concluded it would have been too complicated to execute, and Belichick would have also needed to agree to the arrangement.
Belichick has the second-most wins in NFL coaching history but has not yet passed Shula's record. Whether he will ever reach that number has been a lingering question since he and the New England Patriots parted ways. He took the head coaching job at the University of North Carolina, his first as a college coach, but has said he intends to continue there into a second season despite speculation that he might return to the NFL.
The question of Belichick's legacy took another turn earlier this year when he was not voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a first-ballot inductee. Tom Brady and others publicly expressed surprise at the outcome. Some voters pointed to controversies from his time in New England, including the Spygate scandal, as reasons for holding off on the honor.
Belichick is currently coaching the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill. Payton, meanwhile, is focused on returning the Broncos to the Super Bowl in the 2026 season.
