Return of Sean Payton?
It’s that time of year again, when jobs are lost and teams are looking for a fresh start. Various names of coaching candidates will be discussed by front offices and fans alike, but there is one name that stands above the rest. Sean Payton is the name most coveted by the slew of teams that have found themselves without a head coach come the end of the regular season.
This is despite the fact that he has taken a year away from the NFL after retiring from coaching at the end of the 2021 season. Payton had seemingly re-evaluated his priorities with the pressures of leading a successful NFL team becoming a bit too much. Peter King recently recalled a conversation he had with Payton in which the former Saints coach told him ‘how much he needed a break’ and how he ‘hated having to have a bunch of Diet Coke at two o’clock in the morning to stay awake for the last couple hours of work.’ Payton has spent the last year relaxing in the South California sunshine whilst maintaining a connection to football after making the move to broadcasting with Fox. However, a year off might not be such a bad thing. Doug Pederson took last year off before returning for 2022 to lead the Jaguars from worst to first and a playoff berth.
It’s no wonder that teams are clamouring after Payton to come and turn around their fortunes as his resume speaks for itself. He came to a New Orleans Saints team that had a culture of losing and turned them into perennial contenders. He coached Drew Brees to a Hall of Fame worthy career and over the course of fifteen seasons, the Payton led Saints reached the playoffs nine times, peaking with the franchise’s lone Super Bowl title with victory over the Indianapolis Colts in 2009. Payton left the Saints with a 152-89 win-loss record. Payton never dropped below 7-9 in a single season, a record that many teams at the bottom of the pile would be more than happy with. The only time the Saints did drop below this record was the season Payton was suspended following the ‘Bountygate’ targeting scandal.
Despite having ‘retired’ in 2021, Payton remains under contract with the Saints until 2024. This means that any team wishing to employ him will need to compensate the Saints, with rumours circulating that they are expecting nothing less than a first-round pick. But which teams are willing to pay the price for Payton’s services? The Denver Broncos, Arizona Cardinals and Houston Texans have all requested and been granted permission to interview Payton by the Saints. The Carolina Panthers and Indianapolis Colts have requested but not been granted permission to interview. Let’s take a look at the teams trying to convince Payton to join them:
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Denver Broncos
The Broncos are coming off of a disastrous season that ended with a disappointing 5-12 record. First time head coach Nathaniel Hackett didn’t last the season after a string of coaching blunders, finally being relieved of his duties after fifteen games. The team also mortgaged their future to gain the services of (they thought) an elite QB in Russell Wilson, who they hoped would elevate them back to the playoffs for the first time since they won Super Bowl 50 in 2015. The Broncos now find themselves under a (very wealthy) new ownership group led by Rob Walton (son of the co-founder of Walmart) who seem to be prepared for whatever it takes to raise this team back up. Payton could effectively name his price.
According to Mark Maske of the Washington Post, the Broncos are the front runners in the race for Payton.
They were the first to reach out and are reportedly on the same page as the Saints in terms of compensation. Maske stated in a recent tweet that Payton likes the franchise’s stable ownership and would be happy to work with Russell Wilson. As per Chad Jenson of Fan Nation there is a connection between Payton and Wilson. Payton coached Wilson at the Pro Bowl and Wilson speaks highly of him, stating ‘He’s one of the world’s best, obviously a guy who has coached a Hall of Fame quarterback in Drew Brees, who’s one of my closest friends’. It seems that Payton is not scared off by Wilson’s career low 2022 season and would hope treat this as an anomaly, relying on Wilson’s exceptionally high level of play in his previous ten seasons with the Seattle Seahawks in which he reached nine Pro-Bowls.
The Broncos are due to interview Payton on 17th January, the earliest date they are legally able to meet him face to face. They have also interviewed current Michigan and former San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh. He would seemingly be their preferred choice if they are unsuccessful in their courtship of Payton. The Broncos have also lined up Dallas Cowboys and former Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn for interview.
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Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals chose to move on from Kliff Kingsbury after a 4-13 season and a failure to fully utilise the unique talents of Kyler Murray (when he is on the field). Murray is the type of QB that is not for everyone. However, according to Tom Pelissero, Payton does like Murray. He tweeted ‘He’s a Kyler Murray fan, and with no GM in place, it’d be an opportunity to set up the whole operation’. Payton certainly knows how to utilise a mobile quarterback, having designed a myriad of gadget plays for all-purpose utility QB Taysom Hill. If there’s anyone who could get the best out of Murray it would be Payton.
As mentioned by Pelissero, the Cardinals are currently without a GM after Steve Keim stepped down to concentrate on his health. The Cardinals appear to want to get their GM situation sorted quickly and have been conducting interviews for the position. However, they may be willing to make an exception and hold fire on GM for the right head coach. Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport report that ‘Arizona’s GM search could wrap up in the coming day, though some head coaching candidates (namely Payton) may want a say in the GM hire.’ The importance of the relationship between head coach and GM should not be underestimated and, as noted by John Sigler of Saints Wire, Payton may decide to bring a personnel executive from New Orleans like Khai Harley or Jeff Ireland with him.
However, Payton may be prevented from doing this. Saints GM Micky Loomis is trying to maintain stability in their organisation. Loomis has said that lateral moves of coaches are off the table and they would only let them go if they had to for a promotion. They could present a similar stance with front office staff.
Payton also has a personal connection to the Cardinals. As a teenager he was a ball boy for the team when they were in St Louis, however it is unlikely that this will have much sway on his decision.
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Houston Texans
The Houston Texans fired head coach Lovie Smith following just one season after he had the audacity to win his final game and gift the #1 overall pick to the Chicago Bears. This is the second consecutive time they have fired the head coach after a single season. The Texans are not known for being the most efficient organisation with an interfering ownership and power struggles in the front office causing continual issues. The Texans are now spreading the net wide and have made seven requests for interview, the most in the league.
The Texans are a team in need of a full rebuild and are short of talent on both sides of the ball with the exception of a few players such as LT Laremy Tunsil and RB Dameon Pierce. Whilst they have a serviceable quarterback in Davis Mills, who performed admirably in the final game but struggled most of the season, the Texans will certainly be looking to pick up one of the top QB prospects in the draft. They have plenty of draft capital with two first-rounders this year and two first-rounders next year courtesy of the Cleveland Browns giving up everything to take Deshaun Watson off their hands. This could allow them to meet the Saints’ asking price whilst giving Payton the opportunity to hand pick the QB he wants to work with. The Texans will also have a projected $47.7 million in salary-cap space to go along with their draft picks. This will allow them to explore the free-agency market to bolster their squad.
Wild Cards
There’s also the chance that Payton could end up with a team that doesn’t have a vacancy yet. Payton has long been linked with the Dallas Cowboys. Whilst Mike McCarthy’s job appears safe, if they go one and done in the playoffs the Cowboys could be tempted to take a look. Also, despite being in the playoffs, Brandon Staley appears to be on the hotseat. The Los Angeles Chargers could be an attractive destination for Payton to continue his So Cal lifestyle, especially with a talented young QB with a lot of potential in Justin Herbert.