Sean Payton had zero chill roasting Ben DiNucci into oblivion at Broncos minicamp

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton joked with quarterback Ben DiNucci after throwing an interception in rookie minicamp on Saturday.

The Denver Broncos have entered a new era with Sean Payton as their new head coach. After the Nathaniel Hackett experiment flopped badly, the team traded draft capital to the New Orleans Saints to bring Payton out of retirement to not only bring the team to its winning ways but to also fix Russell Wilson, who had a brutal first season.

On Saturday, the Broncos held their second day of rookie minicamp, and Sean Payton is already scaring some of his players.

In the aforementioned practice, quarterback Ben DiNucci threw an interception to rookie linebacker and third-round draft pick Drew Sanders, right in front of team owner Greg Penner.

During a media session, a reporter asked Payton about the interception recorded by Sanders. Then, Payton joked that he issued a warning to DiNucci and that was that Penner “owns Walmart” and “if it doesn’t work out here, I’m sure there’s a greeting opportunity somewhere at one of his local stores.”

Payton’s comments come courtesy of 9 Sports’ Mike Klis and DNVR Sports’ Zac Stevens.

Sean Payton jokingly issues Walmart warning to Ben DiNucci after rookie minicamp interception

That sounded harsh, but Payton was joking around with DiNucci. Payton said in Klis’ video above that he was telling Penner, the team owner and chairman of Walmart, that DiNucci was playing well in minicamp.

DiNucci is not under contract with the Broncos, as he was invited to minicamp for a tryout. In 2020, DiNucci was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the seventh round out of James Madison. He played in three games for the Cowboys during his rookie season, including a start against the Philadelphia Eagles. In those three games, DiNucci threw for 219 yards, zero touchdowns, and zero interceptions while completing 23-of-43 pass attempts.

After getting waived by the Cowboys ahead of the 2022 season, DiNucci was drafted by the XFL’s Seattle Sea Dragons. DiNucci led the entire XFL in passing yards (2,671), completions (242), and pass attempts (374), while throwing 20 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, via the XFL’s official website.

The Sea Dragons clinched a playoff spot with a 7-3 record but lost in the North Division Finals to the D.C. Defenders.

The Broncos have Wilson, Jarrett Stidham, and Jared Guarantano on their quarterback depth chart. Once the rookie minicamp concludes on Sunday, one has to wonder if DiNucci will receive a contract offer from the Broncos.