Perhaps this explains why there were conflicting reports Monday about Sean Payton’s interview schedule with the Denver Broncos.
Payton was believed to have set up a second-round interview with the Broncos for Wednesday evening or Thursday morning. Then reports emerged that no such interview had been finalized.
This might be the reason why: Payton has scheduled an interview with the Arizona Cardinals for Thursday, according to a report from Howard Balzer of goPHNX.com. Balzer’s report has since been confirmed by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Balzer went on to report that Payton’s second interview with Denver has been delayed following his scheduled meeting with the Cardinals in Arizona.
If Payton is attempting to use this as a leverage tactic with the Broncos, reporting from ESPN’s Jeff Legwold suggests Denver’s ownership group won’t fall for it:
On Broncos search…
There has been a feeling in building they got leveraged some last year w/Hackett's interview w/Jacksonville looming and a part of why he was signed and 2nd interviews w/others cancelled…They started this w/intent of full round of 2nd interviews this time.
— Jeff Legwold (@Jeff_Legwold) January 23, 2023
Last year, the Broncos moved quickly to finalize a deal with Nathaniel Hackett after he scheduled a second interview with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Denver’s new ownership group now plans to have a more methodical approach this time, according to Legwold.
We will be tracking all of the latest updates on Payton’s status on Broncos Wire in the coming days.
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