Former Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan is one of nine coach semifinalists for the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.
Sean Payton, Denver’s current coach, gave Shanahan a strong endorsement during his conference call with Broncos reporters on Monday.
“I’ve had a long friendship with him,” Payton said. “What he’s accomplished though in our game, he has two Super Bowl championships. He’s been behind, I would say, the minds behind so many coaches working right now. I’d say almost a third of the league at one point has been impacted by Mike. Not only the coaching tree, I’m talking about the offensive tree.
“When I got into the league, there were two or three teams that you studied, and Denver was one of them. We’re sitting here in 2024 and we’re looking at a guy — a candidate — who quite honestly has a lot better credentials than maybe some others [who] have gone before him as coaches. He was one of the guys. [He’s] extremely intelligent and then the Super Bowls, the quarterbacks, the success and all those other things. I don’t know when the vote is or how that all unfolds, but his candidacy for someone like myself, it’s easy.
“It’s all there right in front of you. Then go ahead and look back at the last — just take the last six coaches that have gone in. Just use that number and then throw their numbers at Mike and their accomplishments and I think that’s a simple way to look at it and arrive at the right decision.”
This certainly isn’t the first time Payton has backed Shanahan. Denver’s current coach previously noted that elements of Shanahan’s offense are still used in the NFL today, and Payton said last summer that Shanny should already be in the Hall of Fame.
We should find out soon if Shanahan is advancing in the voting process.
