With the Chargers loss to the Texans on Saturday, the Broncos officially clinched the AFC West division title for the first time in a decade. Just don’t expect them to be celebrating with the usual shirts and hats.
The Broncos took care of business on Christmas Day against the Chiefs while the Chargers couldn’t pull out the win against Houston. Denver will officially host a playoff game and claim the division title as the Chiefs’ long hold over the AFC West comes to an end.
Unfortunately, their AFC West champions gear did not properly capture the mood.
"My understanding is they’re pretty ugly,” head coach Sean Payton said.
"It's fine. It's nice to have. It'll go in a box for the rest of my life,” linebacker Alex Singleton said.
Since the Broncos were not together when they officially clinched the division, Payton had the equipment staff place them in players’ lockers.
"We actually didn’t even talk about it. I don’t know if that’s something I should have omitted. I haven’t seen the hats or the shirts,” Payton noted.
Not only were the shirts and hats apparently “ugly,” but they also weren’t accurate.
According to tight end Adam Trautman, the slogan on the shirts read “been there, won that,” an odd message given that no Broncos player has won a division title with Denver before. The longest-tenured player on the Broncos is offensive tackle Garrett Bolles, who was drafted by Denver in 2017, two years after their last division title.
Trautman did acknowledge the gear is cool to have and he plans to put it in his memorabilia box.
Ultimately, the Broncos’ primary focus is on winning the No. 1 seed. The Broncos will claim the No. 1 seed with a win over the Chargers on Sunday, a matchup that should be easier since Los Angeles will not be playing starting quarterback Justin Herbert.
Hopefully if Denver achieves their goals and goes on to win the Super Bowl, they’ll be rewarded with much better swag the next time around.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Broncos ‘Ugly’ Shirts for Winning AFC West Left Sean Payton, Players Perplexed.
