Sean Payton makes feelings known after Broncos 'disappointing' wild-card loss vs. Josh Allen's Bills

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton led his team to an eventful season, turning a rookie quarterback and a discredited team into a 10-win season and the playoffs. However, they were easily handled by the Buffalo Bills in the AFC wild-card round, ending their season with a 31-7 loss.

The Broncos were one of the biggest surprises of the season. After two disappointing years with Russell Wilson as their quarterback, they cut the cord with the veteran and spent a first-round pick in Bo Nix, who quickly developed into their franchise quarterback.

The future is bright in Denver, and their first playoff appearance since the 2015 season felt good. However, the disappointment from the loss was still present in Payton after the game. The head coach could not hide how unhappy he was with the performance, even if they were underdogs already:

The first touchdown of the game came in the hands of a deep pass from Nix to rookie wide receiver Troy Franklin, but they couldn't do much after that. The Bills scored 31 straight points in order to win the game.

Which players will be free agents for the Denver Broncos in 2025?

It's a long list, but the biggest stars on the Broncos' roster have already been locked for the future.

• RB Javonte Williams
• LB Cody Barton
• LB Justin Strnad
• WR Lil'Jordan Humphrey
• DT DJ Jones
• P Riley Dixon
• OT Matt Peart
• FB Michael Burton
• CB Tremon Smith
• LB Zach Cunningham
• QB Jarrett Stidham
• RG Quinn Bailey
• QB Zach Wilson.

Denver will have to rebuild its quarterback room, but it's likely that one of Stidham or Wilson will return to the team as they already know the scheme. Inside defensive lineman DJ Jones might be the best player on the list, even if his impact is greater by watching the game than by looking at the box score.

Superstars such as Patrick Surtain, Nik Bonitto, Garrett Bolles and Courtland Sutton are already set to be there in 2025, and with Nix's rookie contract, they can be aggressive on the market. The future looks set to be bright for the franchise.