Getty Sean Payton looks on during a 2022 game with New Orleans.
Sean Payton is going to be the most sought-after head coaching candidate this offseason, and could have plenty of options to choose from.
That’s the opinion of some sources inside the league, as the head coaching carousel has already ramped up following the firings of Matt Rhule by the Carolina Panthers and Frank Reich by the Indianapolis Colts in October and November, respectively.
However, one NFL executive suggests Payton has a strict criteria for his next home, after spending one year in the NFL on FOX studios following his departure from the New Orleans Saints following the 2021 campaign.
“Payton is the top candidate by far,” an NFC personnel executive told Heavy, on the condition of anonymity to speak freely. “He wants to have a young quarterback in place.”
The lone hurdle to Payton returning to the sidelines in 2023 is that the Saints still own his rights, so any team hoping to hire him would need to work out some sort of trade compensation with New Orleans. But, the executive suggests Payton will have his pick of jobs.
“He can basically wind up anywhere he wants,” the executive said. “You look at the Denver Broncos, Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams, the Chargers, the Indianapolis Colts, just go on and on.”
It remains to be seen how the Saints would handle potentially blocking Payton from taking a job in the NFC South, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — as the executive suggested, or the Carolina Panthers, who have also been mentioned as a potential suitor.
Here are quick thoughts on each of Payton’s possible destinations.
Los Angeles Chargers
Potentially Payton’s ideal landing place, which checks all of the Super Bowl-winning head coach’s boxes.
Justin Herbert is one of the more gifted quarterbacks in the NFL, and it also feels like Herbert is merely scratching the surface of his potential.
The Chargers would give Payton the young quarterback he covets, an elite running back in Austin Ekeler, and a roster loaded with young talent on both sides of the ball that isn’t far off from challenging the Kansas City Chiefs for AFC West supremacy.
Arizona Cardinals
Few teams have underachieved more than the 4-8 Arizona Cardinals, and few coaches are feeling more heat than Kliff Kingsbury.
Kingsbury inked a five-year extension prior to the 2022 campaign, but there has been a dramatic regression in Arizona this season, to the point that general manager Steve Keim might be looking elsewhere.
Arizona offers Kyler Murray, who could be a reclamation project for Payton, and an offense with the talent to be prolific; including wide receivers DeAndre Hopkins and Marquise Brown. The chance to potentially face his former team in the postseason, in the future, may also be alluring to Payton.
Denver Broncos
The Broncos might be the furthest team away from truly competing, of those mentioned by the executive.
Russell Wilson has been among the more disappointing players, let alone quarterbacks, this season. However, Wilson has a Super Bowl ring on his finger, and Payton has previously suggested that he has a plan to try to turn the quarterback’s and the Broncos’ fortunes around.
“I’d want a cut up of all Russell’s pass plays of 30 or more yards from the field, and I’d want to see are there some schemes that he felt very comfortable with,” Payton said, via The Herd with Colin Cowherd. “Like, I know that they did a great job in Seattle of bringing him off of a naked boot[leg] and then pulling up and we all saw that like throw back to [receiver Tyler] Lockett across the field where the ball traveled 60 yards in the air.
“Then, I’d want to look at another film of his red-zone touchdown passes inside the 20. And so what I’m asking for from assistants, I’m asking for some of his greatest hits and to make sure we have those song lyrics available. And if not, let’s put them in.”
There is little doubt Payton would be a significant upgrade in terms of accomplishments and competency from current head coach Nathaniel Hackett, who is currently sitting on the hottest of hot seats.
If Payton believes in Wilson, and the buy-in from the Walton family to spend what is necessary to bring in top free agents to turn the Broncos around, this could be a quicker fix than most believe.
Indianapolis Colts
If Payton is aiming to undertake a rebuild, in his image, the Colts make some sense.
This is an offense that boasts an All-Pro in running back Jonathan Taylor, and loads of talent at all three levels on defense, but there is no long-term solution at quarterback.
Entering Week 13, the Colts sit 4-7-1, likely just on the outskirts of being within reach of one of the top quarterback prospects, which could mean trading for a veteran — again, is the only path to competency at the position.
Payton would have one of the easiest roads to the postseason, though, of any division in football, if he can turn around the Colts.
Los Angeles Rams
This has unequivocally been the most disappointing season of the Sean McVay era for the Los Angeles Rams.
If McVay decides to retire, which is something he’s hinted at in the past, Payton has the pedigree to quickly steer the Rams back into the forefront of NFC Super Bowl contenders.
Perhaps the most significant roadblock to Payton winding up in Los Angeles is the fact that the Rams don’t have a first-round pick in 2023. The Rams’ prior wheeling and dealing that delivered quarterback Matthew Stafford in 2021 could limit general manager Les Snead’s ability to pull off the kind of blockbuster deal it might take for the Saints to free Payton from his contract.
However, Payton at the helm of the Rams with a veteran quarterback, stout defense, and working alongside a general manager not afraid to go all-in would be a fascinating scenario to watch unfold.