Broncos coach Sean Payton flashing personal Jordan shoe deal at training camp, to wear custom pair this season
Sean Payton is the first NFL coach to sign a personal shoe deal with Jordan
Sean Payton’s exclusive shoe deal has apparently been turning heads within the Denver Broncos’ practice facility.
Payton, according to The Denver Post’s Ryan McFadden, signed a shoe deal with Jordan Brand in 2020 — which made him the first head coach in the NFL to personally ink such a deal with the company. So, as you’d expect, Payton is wearing a new custom pair of Jordans just about every day.
“[Payton] brags about it a little bit, [saying] ‘You haven’t seen these in stores yet,’” cornerback Pat Surtain II said, via The Denver Post. “Every day he’s showing off new shoes.”
It’s hard to blame him.
Payton’s deal first started in 2020 after he received an invitation to visit Michael Jordan’s private golf course, Grove XXIII, in Florida. From there, the deal kind of fell into place.
“[Jordan] said, ‘I noticed you are always wearing Jordan 11s, and I’m going to make you the first Jordan Brand coach,’” Payton said, via The Denver Post. “I said, ‘That sounds good.’”
Payton is going to put that deal to good use this season, too. He is reportedly set to wear a new custom pair of Broncos-themed Jordans on the sidelines during games this fall. The shoe will be exclusive to him, and unavailable to the public.
Specifics surrounding Payton’s deal with Jordan aren’t known, but he said he has “hundreds” of pairs of shoes. Thankfully, he said, his son wears the same size “because I can’t possibly wear all these shoes.” He’s one of just a few coaches in the sports world who has a personal shoe deal.
Payton is set to enter his first year with the Broncos this fall after he was tabbed to replace Nathaniel Hackett. He spent 15 seasons leading the New Orleans Saints. The Broncos haven’t made the playoffs since they won the Super Bowl in the 2015 season, and they went just 5-12 last year.
While it takes more than a Jordan deal to turn a franchise around, it’s undoubtedly a pretty cool perk to bring to the organization.
“You don’t see too many head coaches signing sneaker deals,” Surtain said, via The Denver Post. “He was telling me the scoop about Jordan and how they treat him. He was like, ‘Once you join Jordan, it’s a brotherhood from here on.’
“But I’m with Nike right now, so we will see how things go.”
The Broncos fell to the Arizona Cardinals in their preseason opener on Friday night. They'll officially open the season against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sept. 10.
