Sean Payton’s contract with Broncos not done yet

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No deal is done until it’s done. And the agreement between the Denver Broncos and coach Sean Payton is not yet concluded.

That’s the word from Denver, more than a day after the Broncos announced the hiring of Payton.

There’s no reason to think that’s not happening, unlike (for example) Sunday’s report that Vic Fangio would definitely become the Dolphins’ next defensive coordinator. (It could still happen, but it wasn’t as inevitable as reported.) At this point, it’s just a matter of working out the words, phrases, and clauses of the final contract.

Payton’s compensation remains unclear. 9News.com’s previous report of Payton landing “somewhere between” $17 million and $20 million was, in fact, an estimate and not a report – even though it was originally presented as a report. Even if/when a number is reported, we won’t know if it’s the total number, as high-end coaches are often paid through related business concerns.

Sooner or later, Payton will be on the books as Broncos head coach, barring something that would be incredibly unplanned and unlikely at this point.