ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The bar has been raised.
And the Broncos have responded in turn.
While Denver exceeded nearly all national expectations in 2024 as the team surged to 10 wins to snap a nearly decade-long postseason drought, the Broncos quickly outlined a higher standard for 2025. From the players in the locker room to the team’s leadership core, a number of key members of the franchise echoed that sentiment in the months since the end of last season.
Nearly five months after the final snaps of the 2024 season, the Broncos are nearing the end of the offseason program — and Head Coach Sean Payton said Tuesday he believes his team has been receptive in embracing higher expectations for 2025.
"I think pretty good," Payton said. "I think they have a high standard of how they see themselves and where we can be."
Perhaps more importantly, the Broncos are embracing the expectations without sacrificing the type of work that must accompany those goals.
"I think we're handling it really well," safety Brandon Jones said Tuesday. "I will say, we're still a young team. I think that just kind of brings that juice and energy and kind of that overall dog mentality that we all have. We never want to get comfortable; [you] never can get comfortable in this league. So I think we're just going to keep striving for greatness and continue to do what we can do."
That approach is no different than it was in 2024, when many national outlets doubted Denver's potential. Jones said he and his team will aim to maintain that "underdog mentality" while knowing that "we're going to be as good as we want to be."
Payton often mentions that confidence for individual players is born from demonstrated ability, and he offered a similar comparison in relation to his team.
"Now, a little bit of confidence always helps," Payton said. "You get going, you win some games."
And, Payton said, there are a couple of keys to Denver finding the success it's working toward.
"Any team really that's been worth their salt has always put a string of wins together," Payton said. "We need to start faster. The last two years, we haven't. But I like where we're at right now."