ENGLEWOOD — The buzz is back at Broncos headquarters. Team employees from every department are in the last stages of preparation for the first home playoff game in a decade. Can you Bo-lieve it? Denver is the top AFC seed not long after the most turbulent 20-month period in franchise history . The Broncos changed ownership, fired first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett and released starting quarterback Russell Wilson with an $85-million salary cap hit. The smoke cleared — and just two years later — Denver hosts Buffalo on Saturday in the divisional round at Empower Field. “It’s this sense of excitement and nervous energy,” Broncos team president Damani Leech told The Denver Gazette. “How do we put our team in the best position to win? Everybody plays a role in that. So, that’s the grounds crew and the stadium staff. That’s our game entertainment group and our ticketing group. Everybody is focused on how we make this the best environment for our team and the most difficult environment for the opposing team.” There are countless reasons why the Broncos ascended from the AFC basement to conference royalty. Penner laid out the most important during a December 2022 news conference. “It starts with culture,” he said. Pam Papsdorf didn’t know what to expect. She began working for the Broncos in 1987 under owner Pat Bowlen and is currently the team’s second-longest tenured employee. Papsdorf assisted in almost every department in the early years as Denver established one of the NFL’s best winning traditions. The Broncos went to more Super Bowls (seven) than losing seasons (six) under Bowlen’s ownership. “He was always here. This was his baby,” Papsdorf told The Denver Gazette. “He used to tell us: ‘We did not work for him. We worked with him.’ And he was so proud of everybody here.” Bowlen died in 2019 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. His family trust opted to sell the team a few years later. Papsdorf summarized the emotions of longtime Broncos employees. “It was kind of just the fear of the unknown, and I would say a lot of people probably felt that,” Papsdorf said. “You don’t know how those people view things yet. What they expect. … Because there are some owners around the league that are just never really there.” The Walton-Penner family ownership group purchased the Broncos for $4.65 billion with controlling owner Greg Penner and his wife, Carrie Walton Penner, at the forefront. Papsdorf witnessed the start of another winning NFL tradition take root in Denver. “If you have to make a transition between owners, I think that we really got the best transition from Mr. Bowlen to the Walton-Penner group,” said Papsdorf, the Broncos’ personnel logistics manager. “Because they are passionate about this team as well. And they are here quite a bit. They’re not owners just in name. They have a hand in everything that happens here.” Damani Leech received an email: You should talk to Peyton Manning. Penner interviewed Leech in the summer of 2022 as a job candidate for Broncos team president. Leech recalled the unique process that ultimately landed him the role. Denver Broncos owner Greg Penner and Peyton Manning talk before an NFL football game between the Denver Broncos and the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey) “How that interview process went is how they approach everything,” Leech told The Denver Gazette. “It was very informal. It was Greg calling me directly and emailing me directly. There were no intermediaries. There were no consultants or firms. He’s a very direct communicator. He wants to hear what you think, he wants to ask you questions and talk to you. “After a couple of conversations, he very simply said: ‘Hey, you should talk to Rob (Walton) and Carrie.’ … I sent them Zoom links, got on, and we just had conversations. Then it was: ‘Hey, you should talk to Condoleezza Rice. You should talk to Melody Hobson. You should talk to Payton Manning.’ It was all very informal. But also reflective of, particularly, Greg’s leadership style.” Leech defines the Broncos’ culture in four connected parts: ownership, clarity, structure and impact. He said the Walton-Penner group will “challenge us to really define what greatness looks like” and “give us the resources to go out and pursue it.” But it must be an organized effort with measurable results. “It is never just a blank check,” Leech said. Results away from the field were transformational. The Broncos made their single largest philanthropic investment in team history with the ‘ALL IN, ALL COVERED’ initiative providing new helmets to every high school football program in the state. Denver hosted the largest alumni weekend in team history with more than 160 former players returning to Mile High. The Broncos also selected Burnham Yard as the preferred future site for a privately financed NFL stadium and mixed-use community district. The list keeps growing. “It’s be humble. Ask a lot of questions. Really dig in and try to figure things out,” Leech said. “Greg and I had a conversation yesterday about the future stadium project. It was: ‘Hey, let’s go back and forth on these.’ He wants to have multiple conversations on just one particular topic.” Denver Broncos president Damani Leech stands next to two of the four new uniforms that the NFL football team will wear starting in the upcoming season during a news conference at Empower Field at Mile High, Monday, April 22, 2024, in Denver. The update is the first major change to the team’s uniforms since 1997. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) The climb to football relevance? Far more challenging. The Walton-Penner group inherited a team that missed the playoffs in six consecutive seasons. In December 2022, the Broncos relieved Hackett of head coaching duties after just 15 games (4-11). Translation: No blank checks. That’s when ownership doubled down on the importance of identifying the next head coach. “We have to get this right,” Penner said. Sean Payton interviewed in January 2023 with Penner for the Broncos vacancy and recalled a specific question that caught him off guard. “I’ll never forget, during our interview, he said: ‘What can I do to help you?’” Payton told The Denver Gazette. “I found that odd. I said: ‘Well, if you and I on Monday are going through the game we just played, and you have a pad and paper, and we’re going through the whole game — I’m not the coach you want to hire.’” Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton talks on his headset during the second half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025 in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann) Payton described Penner as a “tremendous listener” who “asks wonderful questions” in applying his business IQ to the football world. Penner’s commitment to efficient and honest communication earned Payton’s respect. “Sometimes there are tough decisions. There’s a pretty keen, even alignment as to how we see ourselves wanting to do business. I think that works really well,” Payton said. “There’s this feeling: ‘Oh, this ownership group has a lot of money.’ I don’t think it’s that at all. I think it’s more about the questions. If this helps us win, we’re interested. If this helps the individual have a better career after football, we’re interested. If this helps us with mental health, we’re interested. … Those are the things that separate us.” General manager George Paton described Penner as “the smartest guy in the room, no matter what room you walk into” before the season started. Carrie Walton Penner adds a personal touch that is well appreciated inside the locker room. “These players really don’t care about how much any of us know — until they know how much we care. I think (Carrie) does a great job of illustrating that,” Payton said. “The players know, long after they’re done playing here, that this ownership group wants this relationship to be a healthy one. You’ll always be a Bronco. That’s difficult to achieve sometimes, and it’s not the case around the league all the time.” The Broncos’ ownership and front office are also present in every postgame locker room. “I think that visually sends a message to our players and the coaching staff, that we are here to support you,” Leech said. “We’re going to celebrate with you when we win. And we’re going to be here present when we lose. … It brings some humanity to who we are as executives and who they are as an ownership group.” Broncos players gathered for a meeting recently when Payton illustrated his desired team culture with an analogy. Storm windows. Payton told The Denver Gazette he purchased three windowpanes with varying levels of wind resistance — 130 mph, 150 mph and 190 mph — and displayed them before the team. Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton and quarterback Bo Nix (10) in the second half of an NFL football game Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) “How do you define toughness? It’s how much can you take,” Payton explained. “In our league, we’re going to have adversity. We’re going to have sorrow and there is going to be heartache. Gut-wrenching losses, right? The blocked field goal at Kansas City (in 2024). … We’ve been assembling 190s. That means, sometimes, you’re passing on a real attractive player that may miss something. We’ve steered clear of the headaches. You always worry when your team is away, but man, they’re self-driven. “Now, we don’t have a team full of choir boys. But my point is that we’re going to be smart as to what wins in our league. We value those things maybe more than some teams.” Right tackle Mike McGlinchey explained how the storm window metaphor is received by players after seven comeback victories in the regular season. “The big thing with that message is that they all do the same job,” McGlinchey said. “You can get the 130s, they’re a little bit cheaper. You can go with middle ground, they’re a little better but still cheaper. But if you want the stuff that’s going to prevent storms and be the foundation of your home — just like foundational players or foundational coaches — you have to invest in the best ones. “That’s what the message has been: All of us are 190 mile-an-hour windows.” Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix celebrates with offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey after throwing a touchdown pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers in Denver, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/David Dermer) The Broncos’ culture is more than just clever comparisons. Their ownership impact is visible daily for players with the ongoing construction of a $175 million training facility adjacent to the Broncos’ current headquarters in Englewood. It is also felt in their commitment to the latest methods of athlete recovery methods. The Broncos accounted for the fewest injuries in the league for three consecutive years (2023-25) under the direction of Beau Lowery, the team’s vice president of player health and performance. “They’re probably making the most investment out of anybody in football,” defensive tackle Zach Allen told The Denver Gazette. “I’ve got buddies on other teams and I’ll text them. They’ll ask what we do for recovery. I list all these things — and they haven’t heard of half this stuff that we’re doing. Any advantage we can get. As the player, individually, the owners are specifically helping us extend our careers, which is really valuable.” Denver Broncos defensive end Zach Allen (99) sacks Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) during the second quarter of the wild card playoff game at Highmark Stadium in Buffalo on Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. The Broncos lost 31-7. (The Gazette, Jerilee Bennett) The Broncos took the first step a year ago toward reclaiming their proud history by making the playoffs. Now, their goals are set much higher. “I don’t think you’re ever there. I think you’re always trying to grow and get better. We talk about having an improvement mindset,” Leech said. “Me personally, I need to stop and smell the roses a little bit more sometimes. It’s great to be where we are, but I don’t think anybody is exhaling and feeling like we did it. That we’re at the mountaintop. “No, the climb continues.” ...read more read less