Saints should absolutely expect to hear from Cardinals about Sean Payton

The New Orleans Saints offseason is officially underway and with that, let the Sean Payton rumors fly! While the former head coach of the Saints said on Sunday that he'd like to come back to FOX in 2023, that won't stop the rumors from running amuck.

With the Arizona Cardinals firing Kliff Kingsbury, they're a team that can be thrown into the ring for Payton's services in 2023 and beyond. The Broncos have already received permission to speak with Payton.

Could Sean Payton be the next head coach of the Cardinals?

Arizona holds the No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and I highly doubt they'd be willing to part ways with that for Payton's services (though NOLA should definitely push for that pick to be included). They also have a young mobile quarterback in Kyler Murray who clearly wasn't vibing with Kingsbury. Payton would be a game-changer for Murray's production.

Payton could make a lot of sense in Arizona but at the same time, he shouldn't just leave for any job. He needs to accept the right job. If the Cardinals are the team he wants to coach, then go for it, but this doesn't feel like the best he can do.

Yes, there's a lot to like about the Cardinals but they're in a tough division and have some rebuilding to do in the offseason. The quarterback is in place though so that's promising.

Ideally, fans would love for Payton to either stay retired or come back and coach the Saints but they might not get their wish there.