Feb. 22, 2026, 4:12 p.m. CT
For the fourth time in his career, assistant coach John Morton will be part of a Sean Payton coaching staff. As reported by Jeremy Fowler of ESPN on Sunday, the Denver Broncos are expected to hire Morton as their passing game coordinator. He was with the Detroit Lions as offensive coordinator last season before being stripped of play-calling duties at mid-season and then fired at the end of the year.
Morton, 56, will be an assistant under Payton for the fourth time. He was part of Payton’s first staff with the New Orleans Saints in 2006 as the passing game coordinator. After that season, Morton was an assistant with the USC Trojans and San Francisco 49ers before rejoining the Saints as a wide receiver coach from 2015 through 2016. Sean Payton brought Morton on as the pass game coordinator when he became the head coach of the Broncos in 2023.
However, Morton left Denver at the conclusion of the 2024 season to become offensive coordinator for the Lions under Dan Campbell, another former New Orleans Saints assistant coach. Campbell pulled play-calling responsibilities from Morton around mid-season, and Morton was relieved of duties altogether after Detroit finished a disappointing year. The Broncos brought Morton in as an offensive consultant for the playoffs, and are now prepared to elevate his position. Morton is the latest ex-Saints player or coach to join Payton in Denver after Ronald Curry recently signed up.
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