Sean Payton
Sean Payton
The NFL preseason kicks off tonight with the Hall of Fame game between the Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals. The Pittsburgh Steelers have played in that game a few times, including in 2007 against the New Orleans Saints.
The preseason, especially the Hall of Fame game, tends to be less intense than the regular season. But former Saints and current Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton recently explained how a misunderstanding made that 2007 game more intense.
“We tried a receiver out that had just been cut, it would’ve been two days ago,” Payton said via 92.5 FM – Denver’s Altitude Sports Radio on Twitter. “He had been cut by the Steelers, and he was a young rookie. We signed him… Now, we don’t know all the specifics. We get there, and we go out in warmups. I’m just watching, and it felt like the AFC Championship game.
“I had gotten word the player we had signed was caught stealing in their locker room. Unfortunately, I was told that before the game. I called the young kid over, and I said, ‘You’re not going into this game. They’re gonna kill you. Then, I’m gonna cut you after the game’s over and I’m gonna wish you well.’ But it felt like a Super Bowl… We had no idea. We had to buckle up for that one. I don’t think it was a good result.”
With the Hall of Fame Game tonight, Sean Payton tells a story about the 2007 Hall of Fame Game between the Saints and the Steelers. It's a story with…a surprising turn of events, to say the least. #BroncosCamp #BroncosCountry pic.twitter.com/C306UAbAA5
— 92.5 FM – Denver's Altitude Sports Radio (@AltitudeSR) August 6, 2026
Payton doesn’t specify which player it was, so it’s hard to know for certain. But if the allegations of theft are true, whoever it was ticked off many Steelers.
The Saints played poorly in the Hall of Fame game, losing 20-7. The Steelers kept their foot on the gas throughout the entire game. Pittsburgh ended that game with over 400 yards of total offense. Meanwhile, the Saints were limited to 214 total yards. While Payton was unaware of the Steelers’ beef with that rookie, his team had to deal with the aftermath.
That was Mike Tomlin’s first year with the Steelers, and former players have explained how difficult he made that training camp. That likely contributed to the Steelers’ aggression against the Saints. They already had a short fuse, and New Orleans unknowingly set it off.
However, neither team got the result they wanted that year. The Steelers went 10-6 and made the playoffs, but they lost in the first round to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Saints had worse results, going 7-9 and missing the postseason.
While Payton hadn’t been the head coach of a Super Bowl team at that point, he didn’t have to wait long to make the big game. He helped the Saints bring home their first Super Bowl victory in 2009. Maybe that preseason game against the Steelers helped prepare him for the intensity leading up to that game.
It certainly sounds like a tense environment, showing that preseason games shouldn’t be taken lightly. They still have professional players suiting up and fighting to make the roster. The Hall of Fame game might be an extra preseason game for both teams, but it can still carry high stakes.