Sean Payton Feb 28, 2023; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton during the NFL combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Denver Broncos hired former Super Bowl champion head coach Sean Payton to replace the fired Nathaniel Hackett after last year’s embarrassing 5-12 season.

While it remains to be seen how the Broncos perform under Payton, he created headlines throughout the league recently when he declared Hackett’s performance as “one of the worst in league history.”

Those comments rankled the likes of New York Jets Aaron Rodgers, who had an extensive history with Hackett with the Green Bay Packers. Hackett currently works as the Jets’ offensive coordinator.

But according to Jeff Legwold of ESPN, those comments also upset Broncos employees.

According to the report, “One Broncos employee, requesting anonymity, said “some people were surprised at that, not happy, people are giving him their best, working their asses off and this organization has done an awful lot right for a long time, more than most.”

Payton came into Denver in February and said he wanted “a little bit more ‘anonymous donors’ this season,” meaning that he wanted players to go about their business without having to flex on social media.

Some employees feel Payton violated his own rule with unnecessary comments about his predecessor.

It could get interesting for the Broncos if Payton fails to deliver his promised results.

[ESPN]