Sean Payton is one of the most respected coaches in the NFL today. But controversies are not alien to him. In his two decades as the head coach in the league, he has called out the league staff, the players (read Russell Wilson), and has been punished with a season-long suspension – the only example to exist in the new-era NFL. The message was simple: the NFL does not like friendly fire. 14 years after the said Bountygate suspension, he has still not learned his lesson.

Last year, as the Denver Broncos prepared to take on Wilson and the New York Giants, Payton laughed off when Jaxson Dart stepped on the field instead. Wilson – the buttoned-up, classy quarterback of the NFL – broke his character and reminded everyone of the bounty hunting. Clearly, the league was taking notice, and the whole saga brought back the league’s itch and conspired into a tough schedule. The latter has its own reasons, but Colin Cowherd believes otherwise.

“I’m not a conspiracy guy, but I believe this. I think Sean Payton has a mixed relationship with the league office,” Cowherd said while analyzing the Broncos’ schedule. “Look at Denver schedule. They’re punishing them. The first six games, that’s the toughest six-game schedule I have ever seen in my life.”

Honestly, Cowherd isn’t wrong. The Broncos did get a front-loaded schedule. And before we explain why, let’s have a quick look at their first six games in 2026:

• Week 1: Road game against the Chiefs
• Week 2: Home game against the AFC South champion Jacksonville Jaguars
• Week 3: Home game against the NFC runner-up Los Angeles Rams
• Week 4: Road game against the San Francisco 49ers
• Week 5: Road game against the Los Angeles Chargers
• Week 6: Thursday Night Football matchup against the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks

The Broncos’ five of first six games are against playoff teams, and the only one left is against a perennially talented Chiefs. While the season opener can be thought of as a less challenging game, given that Justin Fields is expected to start rather than Patrick Mahomes, that roster is loaded with talent across the board this season. But this schedule shouldn’t be as surprising either. It should certainly not be seen as the league punishing Payton.

You see, it is a part of being in the AFC West to begin with, automatically giving them four games against the Chargers and Chiefs. Then, Denver won their division last season. So, they were automatically supposed to get a first-place schedule. As for the reigning champions, the Broncos are scheduled to face the NFC West based on rotation. It features three 2025 playoff teams, including the Seahawks.

This was already known, so it cannot be the conspiracy. So let me explain what Cowherd truly meant.

I agree with Cowherd. Considering that the Broncos will have their Bye Week in Week 10, the front schedule could’ve been a bit lighter. A more manageable opponent, like Arizona or the Panthers, could’ve made sense in the opening stretch.

However, many of those opponents actually appear later on Denver’s schedule. Following the Week 6 showdown against Seattle, the Broncos are set to face the Arizona Cardinals, Chiefs, Carolina Panthers, Las Vegas Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, and the Raiders again over the next several weeks, while closing the season facing the Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, and the Chargers.

The Broncos don’t have any three-game road trips this season, but it is also worth remembering that they are entering this difficult stretch with Bo Nix recovering from injury. Earlier this year, Nix helped lead the Broncos to the AFC Championship Game after eliminating the Bills in the playoffs. But during that postseason run, the quarterback suffered a fractured right ankle and ultimately missed the conference title game.

While Nix is currently expected to return in time for Week 1 against Kansas City, there is still uncertainty around whether he will immediately return to peak form. Although there is no way to confirm if Payton’s outspoken reputation played a role in the NFL handing the Broncos such a brutal start to the 2026 season, it wouldn’t be bad if he did learn his lesson now.

If not, his facing the consequences of his bluntness won’t be a new thing.

The NFL made an example out of Sean Payton

Sean Payton has been an NFL head coach since 2006, winning a Super Bowl with the New Orleans Saints before later taking over the Broncos. But during a head coaching career that has now stretched nearly two decades, Payton has also found himself involved in several major controversies. The biggest one came back in 2011 during the infamous “Bountygate scandal.”

The NFL concluded that from 2009 through 2011, Saints players and staff operated a system that rewarded defensive players for hits on opposing players. According to league findings, Payton was aware of the allegations, failed to stop the system, and later participated in covering it up. As a result, the NFL suspended him for the entire 2012 season, making him the first modern-era NFL head coach suspended for a full year. Years later, though, Payton openly criticized the way the league handled the situation.

He called Bountygate a “sham” and accused the NFL office of pushing misleading narratives through the media. But that was far from the only time Payton publicly challenged the league.

For a broader context, Payton has repeatedly criticized NFL officiating throughout his career as well. One notable example came during the 2017 season while he was still coaching the Saints. In a game against the Atlanta Falcons, referee Clete Blakeman’s crew penalized Payton after he ran onto the field toward field judge Joe Larrew with just 1:05 remaining.

At the time, Atlanta was facing third down. But after the penalty on Payton, the Falcons received an automatic first down and effectively ran out the clock. To make matters worse from New Orleans’ perspective, 11 of Atlanta’s 26 first downs in that game came through penalties. Afterward, Payton publicly blasted the officiating and called the decision “extremely poor.”

Despite the controversies, though, Payton has remained one of the league’s most respected coaches for years. He has certainly given results to earn that respect. However, if the NFL truly punished the Broncos, it would be wise if Payton simply agreed to disagree and treated the league nicely.