Former Denver Broncos Coach Mike Shanahan is one of them nine coaching semi-finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025.
Sean Payton, Denver's current coach, strongly endorsed Shanahan during his conference call with Broncos reporters on Monday.
“I have a long friendship with him,” Payton said. “But what he has accomplished in our game is he has won two Super Bowl championships. I would say he is behind the brains behind so many coaches currently working. I would say that Mike influenced almost a third of the league at one point. Not just the coaching tree, I'm talking about the offensive tree.
“When I came into the league there were two or three teams you studied and Denver was one of them. Here we sit in 2024 and we see a man – a candidate – who, quite frankly, has much better qualifications than perhaps some others [who] preceded him as coach. He was one of the boys. [He’s] extremely intelligent and then the Super Bowls, the quarterbacks, the success and all these other things. I don't know when the vote will be or how this will all play out, but his candidacy for someone like me is easy.
“It’s all right in front of you. Then take a look back at the last one – just take the last six coaches that went in. “Just use that number and then throw your numbers at Mike and his accomplishments, and I think that’s an easy way to look at it and come to the right decision.”
This is certainly not the first time that Payton supported Shanahan. Denver's current coach has previously indicated that elements of Shanahan's offense are this is still used in the NFL todayand Payton said last summer that Shanny should already be in the Hall of Fame.
We should find out soon if Shanahan advances in the voting process.