The Broncos thought about hiring former Patriots coach Bill Belichick just so he could get a shot at breaking Don Shula‘s 347 wins, a new ESPN report says.
Belichick is 14 wins shy of Shula’s all-time record leading NFL teams to victory, reports Jordy McElroy of PatriotsWire.
Under a plan hatched last season by then-Broncos coach Sean Payton, Denver would hire Belichick as a temporary replacement until he won 15 games.
Payton, a friend of Belichick’s, considered taking his plan to Denver’s management, but “in the end it was too complicated,” according to ESPN’s Seth Wickersham.
The idea was that Payton would temporarily resign as head coach and be named an assistant to Belichick until the latter was able to surpass Shula.
The six-Super-Bowl-winner Belichick, who parted company with New England in 2024, is now coaching college ball at North Carolina.
Shula was a top NFL coach for 32 years, mostly for the Miami Dolphins.
He spent seven of those years with the Baltimore Colts.
His 347 wins were comprised of 328 regular-season victories, the remainder post-season games including two Super Bowls.
Before coaching he played seven years as a defensive back for three different teams.
Belichick holds the record for most Super Bowl wins as head coach.
Payton, now entering his third year with Denver, led the New Orleans Saints to their first Super Bowl victory, in 2010, with a 31-17 upset over the Indianapolis Colts.
