re: Sean Payton has not committed to returning to New Orleans

From Reddit.

I’m not too worried yet. This season was a grind. Let the man decompress

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BREAKING: Fox Sports is targeting Sean Payton as a potential replacement for Troy Aikman, should Aikman leave for Amazon. The Saints head coach has not committed to returning to the New Orleans for the 2022 season. Story from @MMcCarthyREV

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Payton was burnt out after the last game. Usually he does player & assistant coaches evaluations starting the Monday after for the season that just ended. Sensing that he needed a break & the staff as well, Payton told the coaching staff see you in 2 weeks. He told everyone take a break then they'll come back to do evaluations & begin preparing for the Senior Bowl. Jeff Duncan just did an article on this the other day.

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The Saints head coach has been a trending topic on social media since New Orleans’ season ended two weeks ago. The buzz about Payton’s future has been loud, persistent and widespread. Everyone seems to think Payton will be operating anywhere but New Orleans next season.
But nothing that I’ve been able to gather indicates Payton is going anywhere. Well, anywhere, that is, other than his office at Saints headquarters in Metairie now that he's back from his vacation.

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Saints coaches are scheduled to conduct personnel evaluation meetings next week, and Payton is expected to attend the Senior Bowl the week after and the Super Bowl after that. So if he’s abandoning New Orleans, he has a funny way of showing it.

The speculation about Payton’s future is something Saints fans should be used to by now. As Payton himself said in 2019, “If it (speculation) ends, it means no one’s paying attention, and you’re not winning.”

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The 2021 season was a tough one for Payton. Before the season even began, he had to navigate the arrests of Marshon Lattimore and Deonte Harty, who recently changed his name from Harris; a suspension to David Onyemata; the Michael Thomas imbroglio; and a training camp relocation to Dallas because of Hurricane Ida. Things didn’t get any better once the season kicked off. Injuries and COVID-19 outbreaks created a constant churn to the roster and coaching staff, and led to a career-long five-game losing streak. The losses and attrition took their toll.

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Payton used the word “exhausting” to describe the season, and you could see it in his face and hear it in his voice at times. By December, the entire ordeal had worn him down. So much so that some people close to him thought he might need a break — both personally and professionally. One person close to Payton said he thought there was a remote chance Payton would retire at season’s end, take a job on network TV and recharge his batteries for a year.

“He was tired and frustrated,” the source said. “I thought he might be done.”

Emphasis here on the word “might.”

Payton has been down this road before. He puts so much into coaching that he’s often drained physically, emotionally and spiritually by season’s end. It’s why there was similar speculation about him leaving after the 2015 season (remember the legendary “pothole” news conference?) and why in 2019 he was forced to shoot down rumors of him leaving for Dallas by declaring, “I’ve got fleur-de-lis tattoos that can’t be erased!”

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So, yes, the 2021 campaign tried his soul at times. But, as he is prone to do, he rallied. And the Saints' 4-1 finish seemed to buoy his spirits.

Still, Payton was taxed enough to bolt town on vacation just a few days after season’s end. Normally, he and the coaching staff would knock out player evaluation meetings while the season was still fresh in their minds. He didn’t even conduct a traditional postseason news conference with the local media.

Payton clearly needed a break, and he wanted his hardworking staff to take one as well. Whether Payton was searching his soul or clearing his head or both, it clearly sparked speculation from some industry insiders.

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Payton isn’t going to Dallas or Las Vegas or Chicago. Rather, he went to Cabo San Lucas for a little R & R. And after the grind we all experienced in 2021, can anyone blame him?

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LINK

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Payton has been down this road before.


He puts so much into coaching that he’s often drained physically, emotionally and spiritually by season’s end.

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Haaaaaaaaa


This is the biggest joke ever.



How many years of Vicodin and chasing whores?


How about planning and having his engagement party in the middle of a season?

How about already having a one year “sebatical”

How about a party atmosphere on draft day? (Missing on Mahommes)

Y’all obviously have no idea of his lifestyle during the season

Even today.

Lots of golf during the season

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Thanks for posting that.

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No problem I read the article yesterday but had no reason to really post it at the time then Rapoport decides to stir shite this morning.

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You could just see physically this season took a toll on him.

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This. Remember prior to the first Panthers game, how he was running around all that week trying to fill in for the other coaches who were out in covid protocol?

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I feel like he will be back.

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I agree. A good leader can feel the room & understand what those working underneath him need as well. Not only did Payton feel that he needed a break, he sensed his staff needed it too because there really isn't much of a break before the coaching staff jumps into the draft season. That begins with the Senior Bowl in just a couple of weeks & free agency begins March 16th.

They need to do something about the offense.

Jameson williams
A tackle that could move inside if needed. I think hurst will be the left tackle to start the year.

Sounds like fox would replace troy aikman with payton if aikman leaves.

TV money has grown faster than coaching money that at level they'd actually pay him TV is no longer a step down.

I don't think he leaves though. Man has a ton of ego and wants to prove himself post Brees. Leaving behind a QB mess thats partially his (not ever developing anyone better than Taysom) may be grating to him, and I don't think he's the type to run away from that.

This is pretty simple, if Sean leaves it will be years before the Saints find anyone nearly as good. I doubt money is the issue, it's more likely that NO has become a crime ridden sewer is driving him to a cleaner and safer place.