So, How Much Money are the Broncos Paying Sean Payton?

The Sean Payton era in Denver is officially official after his introductory press conference earlier today. We know what the Broncos had to give up to the New Orleans Saints to just get the rights to Payton, but what is it going to cost the owners each year to actually have him coach the team?

According to NBC Sports’ Peter King, Sean Payton’s contract with the Broncos is for five years and “in the neighborhood of” $18 million a year. That number would make Payton the second-highest-paid coach in not just the NFL, but in all of American sports. Only Bill Belichick reportedly makes more, as the Patriots coach earns $20 million a year, per Forbes.

However, with a coach’s salary having no bearing on a team’s salary cap situation, this is really just a drop in the bucket for the NFL’s richest owners, who come from the Walmart fortune and bought Denver for a record 4.65 billion last summer.