Sean Payton reveals why returning to Saints wasn’t feasible despite desire to

February 12, 2023 ndowd

Sean Payton wanted to return to the New Orleans Saints to coach, but an awkward personnel swap precluded his ability to do so.

Sean Payton was burnt out with coaching, that much has been suggested by beat reporters who cover the New Orleans Saints day in and day out. A one-year reprieve as a broadcast analyst was all he needed to get the fire burning for head coaching again, as the head coach accepted a role to be the next leader of the Denver Broncos.

With it, he’s already making changes that will create some frustration for his newest quarterback, Russell Wilson.

Along the way, Payton garnered interest from several teams outside the Broncos, but the steep salary he sought plus the fact that the Saints were due draft compensation for his rights made it difficult for teams to buy in.

But there was always another possibility that didn’t get much lift… Why didn’t he just return to New Orleans?

Many thought that Payton accepting a role elsewhere instead of returning to New Orleans implied he didn’t want to return.

Jeff Duncan already reported that wasn’t the case:

I keep reading and hearing people say Sean Payton didn’t want to coach the Saints anymore. That’s simply not true, a false narrative that has somehow taken root.

— Jeff Duncan (@JeffDuncan_) February 1, 2023

But now Payton has put that rumor to bed and explained the reason why.

Sean Payton talks about why he didn’t return to Saints as head coach

There’s a shockingly simple reason Sean Payton’s glorious return to New Orleans just didn’t happen: Relationships.

“There were a lot of different things in play.”

Sean Payton tells @AdamSchein there was interest from potential Commanders’ ownership groups that reached out about him coaching in Washington D.C.

LISTEN ⬇️⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/zryvRRLOps

— Mad Dog Sports Radio (@MadDogRadio) February 10, 2023

Asked by Mad Dog Radio about whether or not he wanted to stay, Payton said:

“Yeah. And look, it’s a trickier one because, look, it involves someone that I’ve hired, Dennis Allen, and we’ve worked together on two different stints. but I think in the end for me, it was looking really closely at these teams…”

Payton returning to the Saints would displace Dennis Allen, who returned to a head coaching gig for the first season with the Saints last year. Allen served as Payton’s defensive coordinator in the Bayou before that.

The two are close, and it would almost certainly lead to hurt feelings. Payton would probably want DA to stay on as DC if he returned to New Orleans. But that would take a massive dose of humility for Allen to take a demotion.

This year was not the best start for Allen as head coach of the team as the Saints missed the playoffs and underperformed all year, but were held back by injury. If Allen lost his head coaching gig, even though it would make sense to get Payton, it would take an uphill battle for him to get another shot at a coaching gig. Payton probably doesn’t want to do his guy like that.

For now, Payton looks to build his staff in Denver, which thus far has included some hires away from the Saints.

That said, if the Saints have an opening and Payton is available in the future, don’t write off a reunion. It could happen, just not now.

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