This was purposely done by Broncos head coach Sean Payton, who explained that the delayed calendar is a result of the club’s deep 2025 postseason run, which concluded with a loss in the AFC Championship Game on Jan. 25.<\/p>\n
NFL teams with returning coaches are permitted to begin their offseason program as early as April 20, with a maximum of ten OTA sessions. But Payton put the kibosh on that.<\/p>\n
“[We] pushed the offseason schedule back a little bit,” Payton said on The Pat McAfee Show<\/a> in February. “Normally, it starts mid-April. Our guys won’t come in until the first of May. And then we won’t do a football item until June \u2014 they’ll just be lifting for a month before we ever [practice].”<\/p>\n Payton revealed to reporters on Tuesday that Phase One of the program will be limited to weightlifting and strength and conditioning.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s the first Monday in May? May 4. All of May will be weights and running. June will be OTA week 1, OTA week 2, mini camp week 3,” he said at the NFL owners meetings in Phoenix.<\/p>\n Jan 17, 2026; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton during the first quarter of an AFC Divisional Round playoff game against the Buffalo Bills at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images<\/p>\n The Right Call<\/p>\n Payton obviously knows better than anyone else how to properly guide the Broncos — indeed coming off a long, hard-fought, ultimately disappointing season — through the spring and into training camp. He’s a proponent of easing players into the process rather than rushing them back onto the field after weeks of inactivity.<\/p>\n On a micro level, however, this was a smart decision that allows franchise quarterback Bo Nix more than enough time to complete his recovery from a fractured ankle. Nix is, according to the club’s brass<\/a>, “ahead of schedule” with the rehab, but now there’s zero pressure to goose it along unnecessarily.<\/p>\n \u201cI think look, his job\u2014and we say this all the time\u2014is lead your team into the end zone, lead your team to wins,” Payton said Tuesday. “We see him every day at the facility. He\u2019s ahead of schedule with his rehab. He likes being around football. That draft and the significance of trying to get that right is like, \u2018Holy cow.\u2019 It\u2019s so important. We\u2019ll be able to grade that whole class\u2026 I always say three years out, but we could begin to apply that. Then certainly 10 years out, you really know. I think the tweaks, the changes, the additions, and then understanding the challenges ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Payto\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/01knahrc5wr61mvhnwrw.jpg\" "\\"Payto\\"")
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