Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells has remained a close and active mentor to Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton for more than two decades, with the two speaking by phone on a frequent basis as Denver prepares for another NFL season.
Parcells said the two talk "usually once a week" while Payton said it's "probably every two weeks." "He's been a longtime friend of mine and I have a very high regard for him and I want to help him in any way I can," Parcells, 85, told The Denver Gazette from his home in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. For Payton, 62, the relationship has taken on a personal depth: "He's like a father to me, so that mentorship and having that soundboard has been important," he said.
Payton was just shy of 40 when he joined the Cowboys in 2003 for what would be a three-year stint under Parcells as assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach. He then took his first job as a head coach with New Orleans in 2006, and his 15 years with the Saints included winning Super Bowl XLIV in the 2009 season. Payton is now entering his fourth season as Denver's head coach after taking the Broncos to the AFC Championship Game last January.
Payton enters this season with a career NFL coaching record of 184-108, including 32-19 with the Broncos, ranking 13th in league history in wins — a position a 10-victory season in 2026 would improve to ninth place. With a 21-17 win at Philadelphia last October, Payton passed Parcells on the NFL's all-time win list; Parcells went 172-130-1 over 19 seasons coaching the Giants, New England, the New York Jets, and the Cowboys. "I'm happy about that," Parcells said of being passed by Payton. "It's nice to see people that you've been working with in the past have success."
This season brings a notable change to Payton's role on the sideline. After calling offensive plays in his first 18 seasons, he has relinquished those duties to new offensive coordinator Davis Webb, Denver's quarterbacks coach the past three seasons, who was named to the position in February to replace the fired Joe Lombardi. Parcells framed the shift as sound leadership: "Being a head coach is a very time-consuming thing and you have different aspects of the operation to consider every day and sometimes when people can give you a little relief off a big responsibility like the play calling, it's really in your best interest to do it," he said.
Even so, Parcells expects Payton to remain deeply involved: "I think Sean will be deeply involved in everything, including the game and the management of the game and I don't think him just giving up the play calling, he's not divorcing himself from that. He's going to be involved somehow."
Payton described the content of his calls with Parcells as tracking whatever is most relevant at the time — draft discussions during the draft, and roster and personnel talk heading into training camp and the regular season. Parcells expects the regular season, which gets underway Sept. 14 at Kansas City, to be no different.
Payton recently signed a new five-year contract that runs through the 2030 season, meaning the mentorship between the two coaches is likely to continue for years. Parcells said he regularly tunes into Broncos games on television: "I'm watching the games with interest and hoping (Payton) wins and trying to see what they're doing strategically."
How Payton adapts to his new role without direct play-calling responsibilities will be among the most closely watched storylines when the Broncos open their regular season on the road against Kansas City.