Your Denver Broncos have won their first AFC West title in 10 years with one game to go in the 2025 season, and for fans, players and coaches alike, it’s a time to be excited and celebrate the rise from the ashes Denver has seen in recent years.
That is, unless you’re head coach Sean Payton. “Flip (equipment manager Chris Valenti) says, he texted me, ‘What do you want me to do,’” Payton said on a conference call with reporters on Monday. “And I said, ‘Just put them in the lockers.’ We actually didn’t even talk about it. I don’t know if that’s something I should have or omitted. I haven’t seen the hats or the shirts. My understanding is they’re pretty ugly. We just didn’t really talk about it.”
We have to give it to Payton, it is a difficult design to get behind.
Denver players are also unimpressed.
“I mean, the slogan’s interesting on it, I guess, with the, ‘Been there, won that,’ or something,'” tight end Adam Trautman told the Denver Post’s Luca Evans. “And like, nobody in this building playing has won a division championship. So not really if sure I get that one.”
The Broncos posted a picture 38 minutes after the Los Angeles Chargers’ loss against the Houston Texans on Saturday, with the caption, “Goal 1,” with a green checkmark next to it.
Coming into the season, Denver had three clear goals:
Clinch the AFC WestGet the highest possible playoff seedWin Super Bowl LX
The Broncos aren’t done yet; with a win over the Chargers on Sunday, they can secure the No. 1 seed in the AFC, and everyone will have to come through Denver. And the focus couldn’t be clearer for Payton and Co. “The focus was on this week’s game, and the Chargers and the seeding ramifications,” Payton said.
Onto Los Angeles!
Social: Follow Broncos Wire on Facebook and Twitter/X! Did you know: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans.