NOLA Saints losing Sean Payton would destroy franchise
By Kristen Wong
The Cowboys got knocked out of the playoffs in the Wild Card Round, which means the “Sean Payton to Dallas” rumors have already started. But there’s a new rumor in town, too.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler recently wrote about NFL exec predictions for 2022, polling coaches and executives in the league on what may change for next season. One idea that floated around was Sean Payton leaving the New Orleans Saints and becoming a television analyst.
Ridiculous, we know. Borderline insane.
But even the most insubstantial rumors have a tiny grain of truth to them.
To get this out of the way: Payton signed a five-year, $45 million extension with the Saints in 2019. He’s not going anywhere anytime soon, unless NOLA decides to fire him. Which would be even more ridiculous.
Payton has spent 15 years as the Saints’ head coach, and a little extra financial incentive from, say, CBS Sports, isn’t nearly enough to lure him away.
NFL’s media partners have been ruthless in their efforts to hire big names, paying Tony Romo and Jon Gruden millions of dollars for their respective regular appearances on broadcasts.
New Orleans Saints HC Sean Payton is sticking around for 2022 and beyond
NBC Sports even hired Drew Brees to work as a studio analyst for Sunday Night Football, and so far that seems like a win-win for both parties. They got cocky and put him in the booth to call the Raiders-Bengals game, and that…didn’t go well. It’s okay, Drew. Stick to what you know.
The media can poach retired football players and coaches all they want, but they won’t get Sean Payton in the near future. The key word there is: retired.
Payton isn’t exactly a young buck in the coaching world, but he’s not nearly finished, either. The 58-year-old has led NOLA to 10 winning seasons which includes 2021.
Put anybody else at the helm of the Saints this past season, and they likely would have finished with an atrocious record. Four different quarterbacks, offensive line injuries, third-rate wide receivers, and the list goes on.
Payton’s ability of turning lemons into oh-so-sweet lemonade will continue in 2022, as Payton already has his sights set on NOLA’s future.
Sean Payton says discussions on player futures will begin in 3-4 weeks
— John Hendrix (@JohnJHendrix) January 10, 2022
The only thing you can believe is what comes out of Sean Payton’s mouth, and if he says he’s staying, then he’s damn sure staying.
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