After a tough loss on Sunday, the Denver Broncos now face a quick turnaround as they’re set to face the New Orleans Saints on Thursday night. Normally this would be a ‘business as usual’ type of preparation for the Broncos. However, this game might have more emotions tied to it, especially for head coach Sean Payton.

Sean Payton makes his return to New Orleans

Thursday’s game will be Payton’s first time facing his former team. Payton, who coached the Saints from 2006 to 2021, helped the team achieve a 152-89 record in his tenure. He also helped lead the Saints to a Super Bowl championship during the 2009-10 season.

Payton’s 16 seasons with the Saints will undoubtedly be on the mind, and may present him some new emotions coaching from the opposite sideline.

“Certainly, there will be emotions going back there with players, but I do think that comes up quite a bit in our league,” said Payton. “With players and in this case certainly the amount of time I was there, I understand it. We have to deal with the crowd noise. That place is loud, and you guys know that.”

Payton’s departure from the Saints wasn’t drama-filled as you see with most coaching departures in the league. Instead, Payton chose to step down and ‘retire’, eventually landing an analyst gig with Fox Sports. Payton would have a hankering to get back into coaching, and would eventually land with the Broncos via a trade in 2023.

Despite a civil departure from the Saints, Payton is aware he might not get the warmest welcome from fans in his return.

“I don’t think there’s going to be a lot of flowers and warm fuzzies for yours truly, and I get it,” said Payton.

While being back in New Orleans for this first time might stir up emotions, Payton has emphasized his focus on the Broncos getting a win.

“It’s about the game. It’s about the win,” said Payton. “The significance of us playing our best football on a short week, and it’s about our team. I’ll address that with them tomorrow morning and [say], ‘Hey, let’s understand the significance of getting our fourth win.’ I think that’s the number one thing, and then go from there.”

Payton is also very familiar with Saints head coach Dennis Allen. Allen worked under Payton as an assistant defensive line coach from 2006 to 2010, and then as a defensive coordinator from 2015 to 2021. Following Payton’s departure, Allen would be promoted to head coach.

With both coaches being familiar with one another, Thursday’s game could end up being quite the chess match.