Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton earned an “A-” in the second annual NFLPA players’ survey. However, the feedback undermines the positivity that letter grade typically implies.

“The Denver Broncos finish this year ranked 16th overall,” the NFLPA wrote in the survey published on February 28.

Only 72% of players feel that head coach Sean Payton is efficient with their time (27th overall)
The players feel that Sean Payton is somewhat willing to listen to the locker room (24th overall)

Payton finished 17th among all coaches in the survey.

The Broncos went 8-9 in Payton’s first season at the helm. Those are not the results either side had in mind when Denver traded a 2023 first-round pick (No. 29 overall) and 2024 second-rounder (No. 45 overall) to the New Orleans Saints to acquire the head coach.

Payton infamously berated Russell Wilson on the sideline, perhaps influencing the players’ evaluation of the former.

If there is a saving grace, it is that Payton still ranks near the middle of the pack despite being in the bottom third in time management and listening to the players. It’s also important to note that many of the players on the roster last season preceded Payton.

A roster full of players hand-selected by the coach could view him in a more favorable light.

Wilson says he wants to return to Denver next season. He also has designs on winning multiple Super Bowls while Payton said they have a good working relationship.

Broncos Owner Viewed Favorably for Willingness to Spend

The Broncos’ overall ranking factored in plans for a new, $175 million team headquarters. They expect it to open ahead of the 2026 season. They also spent $100 million to renovate Empower Field at Mile High and $400,000 to replace the playing surface in Week 18 in 2022.

“Club owner Greg Penner receives a rating of 9.6/10 from Broncos players when considering his willingness to invest in the facilities (5th overall),” the NFLPA wrote.

However, the organization fell short in many crucial areas.

The NFLPA cites the lack of individualized workout plans from the strength and conditioning coaches. For the Broncos, that’s a three-man group of Head Strength & Conditioning Coach Dan Dalrymple as well as assistants Korey Jones and Shaun Snee.

That led to the Broncos’ lowest ranking – 30th. But their letter grade in that category was still better than the team’s treatment of families (D+, 21st) and locker rooms (D, 26th).

There is some hope for those areas, though.

“A new facility will correct most of the issues the players expressed,” the NFLPA wrote, citing the locker rooms specifically, “but there are other areas that require addressing, which are not related to the facilities.”

Sean Payton Least of Broncos Worries After New Survey Reveals ‘Multiple’ Cars Stolen in Training Camp

The NFLPA also cited players’ reports of “multiple” cars being stolen from the team facilities during training camp.

That had not previously been reported, per 9News’ Mike Klis. It does harken back to when former Broncos pass rusher Shaun Phillips had his $120,000 Range Rover stolen less than 10 minutes from the stadium during the 2013 season.

New facilities had better include increased security, in that sense.

The good news is that the Broncos rose four spots from 20th in last year’s report card. But there are clear measures they still need to take.