While the AFC West is as tough a division in football as any, Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton has a clear vision of the team he envisions taking the crown. Building off last season’s turnaround, his squad was clear in what type of player they were drafting; one for whom loyalty still means something.
College football has undergone massive changes over the last few years such as conference realignment and the biggest shift which is the transfer portal. The fact is, money is what’s driving player movement these days. College players are free to pursue financial opportunities by transferring to other programs, thereby switching teams and not fulfilling their commitment to prior schools. In year’s past, players would play for the same school for the duration of their careers, for better or worse. Now, you have players who transfer several times before making their way to the professional ranks.
No one’s judging these young men for pursuing money; let’s face it, for many of them this will be their best shot at making life-changing money. Still, how does that affect their prospects as NFL players? Well, if you ask Payton, he recently alluded to the notion that player “loyalty” still plays a factor in determining whether they’re a fit for the Broncos or not (via ESPN).
“It’s not by accident. There might be some coincidence in there, but in the overview, it’s not by accident. Not at all. The inside info; who they are, that’s important to us. We say tough, smart, good teammates, we say those things, but to find it, to really find it… that’s what you want. In this group, we found it in players who had stayed and played where they were for longer than a lot of guys.”
AFC West teams are building their cultures, one player at a time…
The Las Vegas Raiders, now led by Pete Carroll, are rebuilding their identity and resetting their culture. They’re doing this by infusing their roster with new, young talent while maintaining a sense of competitiveness. That sounds familiar if you’re a Broncos fan. However, if you recall, it wasn’t that long ago that folks were wondering if Payton had committed a mistake by returning to the NFL. Nonetheless, the Broncos have done their due diligence in rebuilding their roster, namely finding their quarterback.
Payton, as far as he goes, is looking to build a team that sees things through to the end. A commitment to ride things out, through the good and bad, and eventually, become champions. You could argue that all of the coaches currently in the AFC West are building along this philosophy. Of course, the only exception being Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs as they’ve been winning for quite some time. For now, we’ll have to wait and see how this particular type of player affects the Broncos. If you’re keeping score, Denver selected six players (out of seven total) who never transferred during their collegiate careers.
Loyalty, baby.
*Top Photo: Getty Images