Who is Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton’s wife? All about Skyleen Montgomery

Sean Payton has had the support of his wife Skyleen Montgomery as he has coached the Denver Broncos.

The NFL coach and former quarterback met Skylene while trying to get tickets to a game in 2014, during his 15-year stint as head coach of the New Orleans Saints. The pair first met shortly after Peyton’s divorce from his first wife was finalized, and they dated for several years before Peyton proposed in 2019.

They got married in 2021 and have been enjoying life together ever since. According to Nola.com, Skylene’s friend Jennifer Ansaldi said Payton’s wife is “independent, smart, calm, caring and fun” and supports her husband’s NFL career. In an interview with the newspaper, Payton said he is “excited” about Skyline, who will become the Broncos’ head coach in 2023.

So, who is Sean Payton’s wife? Here’s everything you need to know about Skyleen Montgomery’s relationship with NFL coaches.

Skylene is from West Virginia.

Skyleen grew up in Parkersburg, West Virginia with her parents, Skyler and Darlene Montgomery. She was an only child and described herself as a tomboy growing up.

“I was the kid with the bowl-cut hair, the baggy shorts and Nike T-shirts that played baseball,” Skylene told Nola.com. “She always gravitated toward the new kids at school and made sure they were comfortable,” Darlene said of her daughter. Darlene wanted Skylene to take dance lessons, but instead she played Jeonju volleyball and softball.

Skylene remained in West Virginia for college and attended Marshall University, where she studied exercise physiology while serving as vice president of the school’s Delta Zeta sorority chapter. She graduated from West Virginia University’s nursing program in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree, according to the Parkersburg News and Sentinel.

She met Payton at an NFL game in 2014

According to Nola.com, Skylene and Payton first met in 2014 at an NFL game between the Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints. This is the team Payton was coaching at the time. The two met shortly after Peyton finalized his divorce from his first wife, Beth Shuey.

At the time, Skylene was working as a nurse in North Carolina and asked a friend if she could get tickets for her and some co-workers to the game. The friend gave Skyleen a phone number to call, which turned out to be the number Peyton had been using. She met Mr. Payton for the first time at a pregame ceremony and thanked him for giving her tickets.

Skylene and Payton got engaged in November 2019

On November 10, 2019, at the end of the Saints vs. Atlanta Falcons game, it was announced that Payton and Skylene had gotten engaged two days earlier, on November 8.

The proposal took place during a private party, but Skyleen said she thought she was attending an anniversary celebration. Other guests, including Skylene’s parents, believed the party was in celebration of Skylene’s 35th birthday.

It wasn’t until country singer Heidi Newfield started singing the song “Johnny and June” and Peyton got down on one knee that Skylene realized something more was going on. After proposing, she and Peyton got matching tattoos of the letter “J” on their ankles in honor of the song.

She married Peyton in June 2021

Peyton and Skylene tied the knot in a private ceremony in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico on June 18, 2021. According to WDSU, the wedding was officiated by Payton’s friend Avery Johnson, a basketball commentator and former player and coach. According to Nola.com, the couple originally planned their wedding in March of the same year, but had to postpone it for several months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Before the wedding, Skyleen told Nola.com, “As long as I’m on his insurance and I don’t have a big old rock in my hand, getting married won’t change anything.”

Peyton has two children, daughter Megan and son Connor, from her marriage to Shuey.

Skylene competed in beauty pageants and worked as a nurse

Skylene competed in various beauty pageants and won the title of Miss West Virginia in 2008. She then represented her state in the Miss USA pageant that same year. Before that, she entered Miss Teen West Virginia at the age of 14 and won first place.

She has also worked as a nurse, including in the gastrointestinal intensive care unit at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans. In addition to her pageant and nursing work, Skylene also coached volleyball for the Bayou Sports Club USA Club volleyball team, according to the Parkersburg News and Sentinel.

“I grew a lot,” Skylene told Nola.com of the time she spent working two jobs after graduating. She said her parents taught her independence, but her father refused to help her when she mismanaged her money and had her cell phone turned off. “I was never late on a payment again,” she recalled to Nola.com.

she participates in charity work

According to Nola.com, Skyleen is part of Peyton’s Play It Forward Foundation, which aims to improve the lives of families and children in the areas of health, education, and social services.

She also works with Saints owner Gail Benson on the annual Moonlight & Miracles Ball to benefit Ochsner Cancer Institute, and with her husband supports the Harvest at Home fundraiser for Second Harvest.

Skylene doesn’t seek the spotlight

Skyleen’s friend Ansaldi told Nola.com that she was “not one to seek the spotlight,” while Skyleen herself was filmed on a jumbotron watching the Saints game in Peyton’s suite, and said that after she appeared on the screen, she thought the camera was catching actor Vince Vaughn, who was sitting next to her at the time.

Ansaldi also told Nola.com that Skylene is incredibly resourceful, detailing, “She always has something in her bag to deal with any emergency. If she gets a blister on her shoe, she has a Band-Aid. If the strap breaks, she has tape or a sewing kit.”

she is interested in fitness

Skylene has a fitness routine that includes boxing classes, hot yoga, CrossFit, and golf, and she often hangs out with Peyton. The couple even named their dog after a CrossFit workout.

Skylene’s boxing sessions were conducted with Keith Director, who told Nola.com, “She’s talented. She works hard. She’s just good! She’s strong. She’s fast. She’s lean.” The workout includes battle ropes, weights, jump ropes, resistance bands, and sparring with a director at the end.