"I don't think I'm finished coaching" - Sean Payton open to NFL return in the future
Sean Payton made the shocking decision to step down as head coach of the New Orleans Saints this week. That immediately started up a rumor mill about him potentially landing another job elsewhere in the NFL. Could this lead him to the Dallas Cowboys?
This is all so new and for now the former Saints head coach is just sticking to media interviews to talk about his time in New Orleans. He is being very open and honest and all signs point toward him taking sometime off in 2022 from coaching.
Payton recently appeared on the Dan Patrick Show and spoke about his future in football. He doesn't believe he has coached his last game yet in the NFL. He also revealed a few teams have reached out to him via back channels about a possible head coach job.
"You can have a back door. 'Hey, would you have any interest?' That's happened maybe with a couple, a couple of clubs, but I'm not, I'm not looking at that path right now. At some point, I don't think I'm finished coaching but I was excited to get two or three calls and texts from from people in the television industry."
Sean Payton doesn't rule out the possibility of returning to the #NFL as a Head Coach, not at all likely. Says he's focused on working in television. No teams have reach out to him directly, but interest has been expressed by two teams via back channels. https://t.co/OKkTEQL6dT
Payton also mentions how excited he was to get calls from those in the television industry. Multiple comments from him on that front seem to point toward the coach wanting to try his hand in the world of broadcasting.
Sean Payton can pick his next job
The former Saints head coach is in a great spot right now. He just stepped away from the team and already has, as he said, several teams informally reaching out to him. At the same time, television networks may end up vieing to sign him for a contract.
That makes any television contract he signs a temporary one, as he is not keen on leaving coaching. But someone like Payton who has been around the game for long may want one more shot at Super Bowl glory.
Sean Payton's @Saints helped heal a city that was still reeling in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Especially on one fateful Monday night. https://t.co/kylb5xwO2S
He will also have his pick of jobs whenever the time for a return comes. Let's say for example, it is a year from now and the Cowboys have fired Mike McCarthy. Realistically, anything other than a Super Bowl victory could have Jerry Jones looking to hire Payton to replace McCarthy.
His name is going to be connected to just about any job opening out there unless he directly says he isn't a candidate. Even then, he would be swayed with a lucrative contract.
The Saints chapter of Payton's career is over. Now it will be fun for NFL fans to see what he will do next.