Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton is in Los Angeles to coach the Fanatics Flag Football Classic. Payton is coaching the Founders Flag Football Team with Tom Brady and Jalen Hurts as his team captains.
Kay Adams of the Up and Adams Show was there to get Payton’s first public comments on new Broncos wide receiver Jaylen Waddle. Adams is always able to get Payton to open up about things he might not always be willing to divulge, and in this instance, she even got him to do a ‘waddle.’
Then Adams asked Payton what he loves about Waddle. It sounds like the Broncos were moved, in part, by what others they trust told them about Waddle.
“There’s a grit to him,” Payton told Adams. “Guys like Teddy Bridgewater, Nick Saban, I mean, a ton of people talked about his high, high… [he] competes.”
That “grit” Payton speaks of should fit with the locker room culture he has cultivated since becoming head coach in Denver back in 2023. Waddle’s football character and toughness are exactly what the Broncos look for in players.
With the Waddle trade happening the same week as the Fanatics Flag Football Classic, Payton couldn’t help but think of how awesome Waddle would be in some five-on-five action.
“The minute it happened, though, there was this immediate thought, ‘He would be perfect for this game,'” Payton said of Waddle.
Broncos coach Sean Payton on his new WR, Jaylen Waddle. @Fanatics flag tomorrow .. Founders are dialed in. pic.twitter.com/9ISkKiLUS0
— Kay Adams (@heykayadams) March 21, 2026
The time will soon come for Payton to get to know Waddle as a person and as a player. The same goes for Waddle, although he talked about how he’s been able to keep tabs on Payton and the Broncos through his contact with Patrick Surtain II and, of course, by observing how Denver has risen out of the NFL doldrums to become a Super Bowl competitor.
There’s just enough mystery to keep it interesting for Waddle, at this stage.
“We kept in contact through the years when Coach Payton has been here,” Waddle said on Wednesday during his introductory press conference. “He’s been keeping me in the loop without even knowing.”
Payton’s New Weapon
Dec 21, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (17) runs the ball during the second quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
In all the ways that Waddle would be great in a flag football setting, he’ll be impactful for the Broncos. The skill set he brings is wholly unique and something that has been missing in the Broncos’ wide receiver room: 4.3 speed, short-area quickness and burst, good hands and route-running ability, and sheer explosiveness.
Waddle has experience playing all over the formation, and while he’ll be assimilating Payton’s playbook over the coming weeks and months, he expects to be quite helpful to what the Broncos have in mind offensively.
“I think over my time, I got a chance to play all over the place,” Waddle said on Wednesday. “So I think that helps just knowing the offense inside and out, being able to put me in different spots. I think that’s always helpful, just being able to go around and play different positions.”
The Broncos will likely do the same, moving Waddle around to isolate the best matchups and exploit the opponent. It’s going to be fun to see how it takes shape and how he fits in exactly with Courtland Sutton, Troy Franklin, Pat Bryant, Marvin Mims Jr., and Lil’Jordan Humphrey.
We know that Waddle will be taking the No. 17 jersey, which is what Humphrey rocked last season. Perhaps a little compensation went Humphrey’s way to pry the jersey number off of him, but however it shook out, Waddle gets to rock the same number he has as a pro and in college.
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