Several weeks ago, the Broncos added Stanford coach David Shaw to the front office. Current Broncos coach Sean Payton was asked about Shaw’s arrival on Monday.
“He was hired in the offseason,” Payton told reporters. “David and I have worked together for a couple of years in Philadelphia. My first two years in the NFL, I was with David with the Philadelphia Eagles, 1997-98, under [former Eagles coach] Ray Rhodes. [Former NFL coach] Jon Gruden was our offensive coordinator, [Ravens coach] John Harbaugh was our special teams coordinator. There were like six head coaches on that staff. [Titans offensive line coach] Bill Callahan, [former NFL head coach] Emmitt Thomas and [Broncos senior defensive assistant] Joe Vitt. I know I’m going to miss a few. David was hired in the offseason. He’ll be in more of a front office position helping us with the evaluation. There are a number of things that he can help us with. [He is] extremely smart, he’s a close friend and a good addition for us.”
Some have speculated that Shaw will be peering over Payton’s shoulder on game days. As we understand it, Shaw won’t be attending very many games.
It’s a remote position, and Shaw won’t be around the team on a regular basis. That should keep anyone from thinking that Shaw will be lurking as a potential replacement for Payton.
That said, Shaw was interviewed for the job before Payton was hired, and Shaw has a close relationship with Broncos limited partner Condoleezza Rice from their mutual time at Stanford. While there’s no specific reason to think Shaw would supplant Payton, those facts are undeniable.