Jerry Jones admits he expected Sean Payton would one day coach the Dallas Cowboys 'several times'

Fresh off their dominant 44-22 win over the Washington Commanders last Sunday, the Dallas Cowboys will look to keep their momentum rolling this weekend. They hope to do so against the Denver Broncos.

It was an eventful Week 7 for the Broncos as well, as they trailed the New York Giants 19-0 in the fourth quarter but pulled out an improbable 33-32 win. Head coach Sean Payton has led Denver to a 5-2 record and they look to be on track to make the NFL Playoffs for the second consecutive season.

Ahead of this Sunday’s matchup between Dallas and Denver, Cowboys owner/GM Jerry Jones revealed just how highly he and the Cowboys brass are on Payton as a man and a head coach. Prior to beginning his head coaching journey with the New Orleans Saints in 2006, Payton served as Dallas’ assistant head coach & quarterbacks coach from 2003-05.

“Several times,” Payton said via 105.3 The Fan when asked if he ever thought Payton would coach in Dallas. “It just never fit. He was never there when we needed to be thinking about making a change. The timing never fit. There’s no coach that we think any more of, respect any more, than we do Sean Payton.”

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on @1053thefan on if he ever used to think one day Broncos coach Sean Payton would be the Cowboys coach: "Several times. It just never fit. He was never there when we needed to be thinking about making a change. The timing never fit.

"There's no coach…

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) October 24, 2025

Denver leads all-time series against Dallas 9-5 with seven straight wins

Prior to Payton being hired, Denver had not made the postseason since their Super Bowl 50 win in 2015. Across his illustrious career, Payton boasts one Super Bowl win (XLIV) and has led his teams to the postseason in 10 of his 18 full seasons.

Heading into the season, the Dallas Cowboys seemed to be in a state of disarray following the Micah Parsons dilemma. Just one week prior to kicking the season off against the Green Bay Packers, Dallas parted ways with the superstar in order to take the program into a new direction. This direction has been promising so far, as the Cowboys are 3-3-1 with (statistically) the best offense in the NFL. Through seven games, they are averaging 390.6 yards per game.

They will clash with a Denver Broncos defense, which ranks third in the NFL in yards allowed per game (273.1). Over his 18-year head coaching career, Payton is 4-7 against the Dallas Cowboys. This weekend will mark his first game against Dallas as Denver’s head coach, however.

Kickoff at Mile High this Sunday is scheduled for 4:25 p.m. ET. The game can be seen on CBS.