Former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton will eventually return to the NFL, and there shouldn’t be a lack of interest in the future Hall of Famer.
Last week, Payton stated on Tom Brady’s “Let’s Go!” podcast that he plans to return to the NFL soon. The soon-to-be 49-year-old resigned from his position as the Saints head coach after the 2021 season, having led the team to a 9-8 record despite a rash of injuries and COVID-19-related absences.
Just about any team seeking a new head coach in 2023 would love to add a coach like Payton, who turned the Saints’ franchise into a long-term Super Bowl championship contender upon arrival in 2006.
Payton has been linked to the Los Angeles Rams (coached by Sean McVay) and Los Angeles Chargers (Brandon Staley). During an interview with Chris Rosvoglou of The Spun, Payton was asked if he’d have interest in either of those teams.
The Super Bowl 44 champion stated that he’s “focused on my current job and it’s impossible to look ahead.” Payton then explained a key factor he’ll be looking for in his next head coaching opportunity:
“I think the most important thing is functional leadership. True ownership in the front office with the willingness to want to win and understand how to do that. I don’t want to be somewhere looking back at it, saying, ‘Man.’ I know how good it was in New Orleans, and I know Mickey Loomis well as a friend and as general manager. And I know Mrs. Benson, their ownership group there. There’s a reason we had success year in and year out. So I don’t want to feel like handcuffed somewhere you can’t win – and there are a few of those places. And so other than that, I really kind of remove myself from looking at each individual place. I’m aware of some places, and other places, maybe not as familiar.”
Payton was hired by the Saints in 2006 after spending three years as the Dallas Cowboys’ assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach. New Orleans went 152-89 over Payton’s 16 years on the job, highlighted by the Super Bowl 44 championship run. The Saints also reached the 2006, 2009 and 2018 NFC Championship Games under his guidance.
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We’ll have to wait and see which coaching positions open up, but at this time, it certainly looks like the Denver Broncos (coached by Nathaniel Hackett) and Arizona Cardinals (Kliff Kingsbury) could benefit from a coaching change.
The Carolina Panthers and Indianapolis Colts are both ran by interim head coaches in Steve Wilks and Jeff Saturday, respectively. Both teams could also look at coaching changes in the offseason, although the former has made a very strong case to have the interim label removed from him.
