It didn’t take long for Broncos Country to get upset during the NFL Honors on Thursday night. Heck, the main event hadn’t even started and they were hot on the collar.
.@Patriots OC Josh McDaniels is the AP Assistant Coach of the Year! pic.twitter.com/8q0D42bjvO
— NFL (@NFL) February 6, 2026
For starters, their former head coach, and perhaps the most-reviled person to ever play or work for the organization, was honored for his success. The fact that he’s an assistant on the Patriots, the team that beat the Broncos in the AFC Championship Game, was salt in the wound.
But that’s not the only reason why McDaniels earning the Assistant Coach of the Year award was annoying. He beat out Vance Joseph, Denver’s defensive coordinator in the process.
It’s not that McHoodie wasn’t deserving. After all, New England finished third in total offense in 2025 and he did a great job of developing Drake Maye into a Super Bowl-caliber quarterback in the signal caller’s second year.
But VJ’s crew was even better. The Broncos defense was ranked No. 2 in the league. They were the main reason why Denver finished the second 14-3 and earned the top seed in the AFC, just ahead of the Patriots. And in the AFC title game, Joseph’s group dominated McDaniels and company.
The slights didn’t end there.
.@ChicagoBears guard @JosephThuney wins the inaugural Protector of the Year Award! #NFLHonors pic.twitter.com/3M617GoZBn
— NFL (@NFL) February 6, 2026
The Bears offensive lineman beat out a pair of Broncos. Garett Bolles and Quinn Meinerz were both on the ballot.
But it continued.
Mike Vrabel is the AP Coach of the Year and in #SBLX in his first season as the @Patriots head coach 👏 #NFLHonors pic.twitter.com/ZcnaDd2WKx
— NFL (@NFL) February 6, 2026
Vrabel definitely deserved the award. He took over a team that was 4-13 a year ago, improved their record by 10 wins and got his team to the Super Bowl. That’s pretty hard to beat.
What’s infuriating is that Sean Payton didn’t even get nominated. He coached the No. 1 seed in the AFC, tied a franchise record for regular season wins and would likely be playing on Sunday in Santa Clara if his quarterback didn’t break his ankle in the Divisional Round. And he did it all while his team had to absorb an NFL-record $85 million dead cap over the past two seasons after moving on from Russell Wilson.
Vrabel was a worthy winner. Mike McDonald has his team in the Super Bowl, as well. Liam Cohen and Ben Johnson did a great job of turning losing teams into playoff-bound franchises. And Kyle Shanahan did a terrific job keeping the 49ers in the race despite a ridiculous rash of injuries.
But were they all better than Payton this season? All of them?
It was a night of snubs. And it’s hard to understand.
(NOTE: Nik Bonitto also lost out on the Defensive Player of the Year honor, but everyone knew that Myles Garrett was running away with that award, which he did in unanimous fashion.
The argument can always be made that great players carry mediocre coaches. Or vice versa. Great coaches can get a lot out less-than-stellar players.
According to the NFL Honors voters, however, the Broncos didn’t fall into either category in 2025. They magically got to 14 wins without players doing the heavy lifting and without coaches scheming things up to the nth degree on a weekly basis.
That doesn’t make any sense. At all.
But the NFL Honors showcase was only the latest place in which the Broncos have been snubbed this offseason. In one other way, they’ve been disrespected.
According to the experts in Las Vegas, Denver only has the 12th-best odds of winning the Super Bowl next season. That’s a head scratcher, given that they were three points away from having a shot to hoist the Lombardi Trophy on Sunday. But some of the teams ahead of them, especially in the AFC, are downright ridiculous.
The Ravens are the favorites in the conference. They’re a non-playoff team that will be led by a first-time head coach in Jesse Minter.
Buffalo is second, which makes sense. But even with a former MVP at quarterback, they’ll also have a leader on the sidelines who has never been the top guy, with Joe Brady set to replace Sean McDermott.
Next up is the Chargers. They finished behind the Broncos this season in the AFC West and they laid an egg on Wild Card Weekend, continuing a tradition of playoff flops. Yes, they have Jim Harbaugh at the helm and Justin Herbert behind center, but it’s not as though they’ve been knocking on the door the past few seasons.
Kansas City is fourth. Maybe it’s because of nostalgia. Prior to this year, the Chiefs were the class of the conference, playing in seven-straight AFC title games, reaching five Super Bowls and hoisting three Lombardis. But they were 6-11 in 2025; they appear to be a team on the decline. Plus, Patrick Mahomes will be coming off a torn ACL, which may cause him to miss the start of the season.
And that leaves the Patriots. They’re in the Super Bowl, so it’s hard to argue. Heck, they should be offended by their standing on this list, as well.
Those who think the Broncos will regress in ’26 usually cite two reasons.
First, they were 11-2 in one-score games during the regular season. That’ll be a tough record to match; there will be a natural return to the mean. But there’s also a chance that Denver won’t go down to the wire in 13 games.
Second, they will have to a play a first-place schedule in 2026. That sounds daunting. But the Broncos catch a bit of a break next season.
They’re at Carolina and Pittsburgh, two division winners last year. But the Panthers were 8-9 and the Steelers just moved on from Mike Tomlin after 19 seasons.
They host Jacksonville and Seattle. Playing either on the road would be tough; getting them at Empower Field makes them winnable games.
Denver also has the Dolphins at home, while going on the road to play the Cardinals and Jets. Sure, the Bills and Rams are tough draws, but those games are in the Mile High City. At San Francisco and New England on the road will be challenges, but so was at Philadelphia.
Will the Broncos go 14-3 again? Probably not. That takes catching a lot of green lights during a season. But there aren’t a lot of things pointing at them turning in a nine- or 10-win team, either.
All season long, Denver had to listen to people talking about them being a fraud. They were called the “worst No. 1 seed” in recent memory.
Well, the lack of respect continues in the offseason. At every turn, nobody is giving the Broncos much of a chance to be a legit contender again next year.
Here’s hoping Sean Payton uses it as bulletin board material for the next eight months.
