The Sean Payton Coaching Tree

Sean Payton runs one of the most quarterback- and pass-catcher-friendly offenses in football. If you've ever drafted a running back mostly for his receiving work, you're drafting a player type Payton helped make famous.

Where Payton comes from

Payton got his early NFL break under Jon Gruden in Philadelphia, then spent three years as Bill Parcells' offensive coordinator in Dallas — Parcells is his main mentor for game and staff management. He became head coach of the New Orleans Saints (2006–2021), built the offense around Drew Brees, and won Super Bowl XLIV. After a year in television he returned to coach the Denver Broncos in 2023, where he remains, recently signing an extension through 2030.

What this offense looks like

A complex, high-volume passing attack built on timing and matchups.
Running backs and tight ends are central in the passing game — "any eligible receiver can run any route." Saints backs caught a huge share of the offense's passes.
Motion and matchup-hunting to find a favorable one-on-one and attack it.
Pass-leaning tendencies — Payton called pass roughly 59% of the time across his Saints years.

What it means for fantasy

This is the home of the pass-catching, "satellite" running back.

The receiving back is the signature asset. Reggie Bush early, then Alvin Kamara — who hit 60-plus targets every single season under Payton and was moved all over the formation. In points-per-reception leagues, that's gold.
Slot and underneath receivers produce (Marques Colston, Michael Thomas in New Orleans).
The offense supports a fantasy-relevant quarterback and multiple pass-catchers thanks to the volume. The durable edge, year in and year out, is the running back's receiving floor. In Denver, his backs have led the league in catches.

The lineage

Payton's tree includes both offensive disciples and several defensive coaches who came up on his staffs.

Head coaches

Dan Campbell — tight ends coach under Payton in New Orleans; now the head coach of the Detroit Lions and one of the most respected coaches in the league.
Aaron Glenn — a defensive back coach under Payton, later the Lions' defensive coordinator, now head coach of the New York Jets. His identity is defensive, so he's a Payton-tree member more by where he grew up than by scheme.
Dennis Allen — Payton's Saints defensive coordinator, then his successor as Saints head coach; now a defensive coordinator in Chicago.

Coordinators and offensive assistants

Pete Carmichael Jr. — Payton's longtime Saints offensive coordinator, one of the longest-tenured coordinators in the league.
Joe Lombardi and Doug Marrone — longtime Payton assistants who have moved around the league in coordinator and line-coaching roles.

A cross-tree note: Klint Kubiak spent a year as Saints offensive coordinator and is sometimes filed here, but he really belongs to the Shanahan/Kubiak wide-zone world — see the Shanahan–McVay Coaching Tree. He won a Super Bowl as Seattle's coordinator and is now the Raiders' head coach.

The 2026 season

Payton's Broncos went 14–3 in 2025 and reached the AFC Championship Game before losing a tight one (7–10) to the eventual conference champion New England Patriots. A very strong year that cemented Denver as a contender.

Where the tree is today (2026)

Sean Payton — Denver Broncos head coach (the root)
Dan Campbell — Detroit Lions Head Coach
Aaron Glenn — New York Jets Head Coach (defensive branch)
Dennis Allen — Chicago Bears defensive coordinator