ENGLEWOOD — Tucked in the left front pocket of Sean Payton’s navy blue plaid jacket was an orange pocket square. 

For Payton, who was officially introduced as the Broncos’ coach Monday, every detail matters — from the orange tie he wore two Sundays ago on FOX that hinted he was coming to Denver, to the pocket square he wore in the auditorium at UCHealth Training Center. 

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“This pocket tissue I’m wearing as an upward angle,” Payton said Monday. “That’s symbolic of the direction we’re headed right now.”

A Super Bowl champion coach with the Saints, it was only a matter of time before Payton returned to football. He had stepped away from the Saints following the 2021 season and spent the past year as an NFL analyst on FOX. The 59-year-old Chicago-area native has been one of the most successful coaches in NFL history, amassing 152 wins in his career, sixth among active coaches.

And there was one thing television couldn’t offer — winning. That competitive itch never went away. 

“There’s nothing that replaces that feeling of winning,” Payton said. “There’s just not.”

That’s why he was one of the hottest commodities this coaching cycle and why he was selective on which job he would take. He interviewed with the Cardinals, Texans and Panthers, but ultimately, the Broncos were his choice because of the leadership of owner and CEO Greg Penner and GM George Paton.

“Everyone has a job to do and they all tried to jump inside what I was looking for,” Payton said. “Ownership was important to me… That triangle to me was most important in this process… The second-most important thing to me was the passion — is football important here? It obviously is.”  

While the Broncos interviewed eight candidates and appeared to have interest in a couple others, Payton was Penner and Paton’s choice because of his experience, winning pedigree and his attention to detail, which they hope can change a losing culture in Denver. 

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“He put a winning football team on the field just about every year for 15 seasons,” Penner said. “And you don’t do that without incredible passion and intensity.” 

Payton steps into a situation in Denver where the passion from the fanbase hasn’t wavered despite six consecutive losing seasons and zero playoff appearances each year since winning Super Bowl 50 at the end of the 2015 season. And the expectations couldn’t be higher for Payton, who said he won’t be making any predictions on next season or beyond, but that he hopes his legacy in Denver is “win a Super Bowl. Win multiple — just win.”

“I think it’s realistic for our fanbase to expect a completely different type of culture. And I think it’s realistic for them to expect us to win,” Payton said. “I know this — the work has started.” 

It was clear during Payton’s 45-minute press conference that things are going to look much different in Denver than what it looked like under Nathaniel Hackett this season. 

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Payton said hard work will be emphasized over everything else, with details being the focus. He added that personal coaches won’t have offices in the building — referencing quarterback Russell Wilson’s staff — and joked that the fans won’t have to count down the playclock to avoid delay of games like last season. He even took at shot at the Chiefs, saying he’s picking the Eagles to win the Super Bowl because “we never want anybody in our division to win anything.”

Under Payton, the culture is going to change, and that starts by him not changing his approach. 

“You have to be authentic,” Payton said. “I can laugh at myself. I can be wrong. I can be humble. I can be confident. But I know what it looks like. And then I know what it doesn’t look like. Sometimes we’re not asking. Sometimes it’s not negotiable. And then sometimes we are. Every little detail (matters). Each team’s different. 

“Every season, we start brand new.” 

Much like he was able to do when he took over the 3-13 Saints in 2006, he hopes to have a quick turnaround with the Broncos. In his first season, he led the Saints to a 10-6 record, an NFC South division title and was named the AP Coach of the Year. 

“It was difficult. It was uncomfortable,” Payton said of the turnaround in New Orleans. “I think just having an open mind of the direction we’re going, but a clear vision as to where. Open mind. Clear. And then there’s a little bit of old school with the new school. I’m not the 31-year-old coach.

“There’s something I have in the back of my mind relative to what I think we need to be successful that never changes. And those are the things I look forward to putting into place.”

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Payton will work closely with Paton on re-building the Broncos’ roster. The two have forged a close relationship over the last several weeks during the hiring process, spending a good amount of time in each other’s offices. When asked about working with Paton, Payton joked, “I think there’s this myth that I’m a tyrant and that I have to control everything — where do you guys get this from?” 

Payton didn’t sound like a tyrant Monday, but he did have a different tone than the previous three coaches to come through Denver. One could tell he’s been here before and he knows what success looks like and how to obtain it. His attention to detail is something the Broncos have lacked, and why they’ve lost 35 one-score games over the past six seasons, including nine last season.

Often times in the NFL, a good coach can be the difference in those close games. The Broncos certainly believe Payton will be that difference-maker they’ve desperately searched for. 

“Last month, I said we were looking for a strong leader who could build a winning culture,” Penner said. “We have the perfect coach in Sean Payton.”