How far can Broncos go in 2025? Head coach Sean Payton has a bold answer

A season ago, the Denver Broncos ended a decade-long playoff drought.

Now, what can they do for an encore?

Head coach Sean Payton is setting the bar sky high. He told Yahoo Sports that this Broncos team can win the Super Bowl.

“The short-term goal is winning the division,” Payton said. “But this is a team capable of winning the Super Bowl. I’ve coached six teams that I thought could win the Super Bowl. Some went to championship games, some to the playoffs. This is my seventh team that I think has that.”

Payton won a Super Bowl in New Orleans, so he at least knows what it takes.

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The Broncos' reasons for optimism are aplenty.

Bo Nix shone brighter as a rookie quarterback than most pundits expected. If he can take a leap in year two, he'll be on his way to being one of the top QBs in football.

The Broncos recently extended two stars, Courtland Sutton and Zach Allen, to keep them happy and out of the worries of a contract year.

They've got the best cornerback in football in Pat Surtain II.

The Broncos made great free agency additions. They got two former star defenders from the 49ers in Dre Greenlaw and Talanoa Hufanga. They also signed star tight end Evan Engram.

They improved their defensive backfield in the draft with Jahdae Barron, and they improved their offensive backfield in the draft with RJ Harvey.

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This really is a Denver team set up for success.

The AFC West isn't an easy division, of course. It's led by the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes. The Chargers with Justin Herbert seem on the rise. And the Raiders finally improved their QB situation by bringing in Geno Smith this offseason.

It'll be a battle each week for Payton, Nix and the Broncos, but they're capable, and they certainly believe in themselves.

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