Five years ago, Sean Payton and the New Orleans Saints used a seventh-round pick to select Idaho linebacker Kaden Elliss in the 2019 NFL draft.
Payton stepped down from his role with the Saints in 2022 and Elliss became a free agent following that season. Payton later joined the Denver Broncos and Ellis signed with the Atlanta Falcons.
This spring, Payton used a third-round pick to select Kaden’s younger brother, Utah pass rusher Jonah Elliss, in the 2024 NFL draft.
It’s quite a football family.
Luther Elliss started the family’s NFL journey by playing as a defensive lineman for the Detroit Lions (1995-2003) and Broncos (2004). Luther and his wife, Rebecca, now have three sons playing in the NFL: Kaden (Atlanta), Jonah (Denver) and Christian (New England Patriots). A fourth son, Noah, spent time with the Philadelphia Eagles from 2022-2024.
“I know it’s a large family,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said Wednesday. “Obviously, the father — I’ve done this long enough, I can recall coaching against their father. We drafted Kaden in New Orleans. [This year], we’re one team away from being on the clock and we’re going to take his brother, but man we’re hoping — I think Atlanta in fact was the pick ahead of us. I turned to George [Paton] and I said, [Terry] Fontenot — Terry is the general manager and was working with us then — ’Terry’s going to draft the brother, I know it.’ They drafted another player and then we were excited obviously to make our selection.
“Then I got a text right away from Kaden. I won’t tell you what it said, but I would say the exposure with Kaden really helped us understand the football mindset as it pertained to the next pick. Now when we drafted Kaden, he was playing a little bit more of an edge. He’s now playing inside, but he’s still a pressure player. If you said, ‘Which of the linebackers pressures the most or blitzes the most?’ He’s the one. That doesn’t mean the others don’t, but he’s a very good pash rusher. He’s really transitioned to a really good inside linebacker. [I’m] proud for him.”
This week, Jonah and Kaden will play against each other for the first time in the NFL. They both play on defense, but the brothers could face off on special teams. You can count on a post-game family photo after the final whistle blows on Sunday afternoon.
