“Just a starting point” – Ex-Falcons HC says Saints will dig in deep as NFL teams circle Sean Payton (EXCLUSIVE)
Sean Payton is going to be a very highly sought after candidate when the time comes for teams to officially hire candidates. Former Atlanta Falcons head coach Mike Smith believes the New Orleans Sants, who have his coaching rights, will want a lot of compensation.
The reported asking price is a first-round pick, a very steep price to pay for a team in need of a coach. Smith believes the price might end up being higher than that.
In an exclusive interview, he discussed the Payton coaching chronicles:
"The situation with Sean [Payton] is interesting because they’re gonna have to give the Saints some type of compensation. Hell, they're talking about that. Mickey Loomis is talking about it."
He added that this is a very unique situation, one that doesn't come up in the NFL very often:
"Everybody, you know, everybody's kind of talking about. It's kind of a different situation, because it's never really gone down this way. Most of the time. It's real secretive about who's you know, who you're talking to, who's a leading candidate."
The Saints have set their price for Payton, but Smith believes teams might inadvertently start a bidding war for his services:
"And you know, the Saints are coming out and saying, Well, if you want to talk to Sean Payton, here's the cost. Here's what it's going to, here's what it's going to cost. And guess what, it's probably just a starting point."
Multiple teams are already involved with him, requesting interviews and other things. If that continues, they may have to outbid each other:
"If two teams get involved with it, the price of poker is gonna go up the price of getting Sean Payton to be your head coach is going to go up. So we just got to wait and see what's going to happen."
Payton might become one of the most interesting hires in recent memory.
Which teams might hire Sean Payton?
Several teams have openings at head coach, and those teams probably want Sean Payton. According to Bookies, these are the current odds for his next team:
- Denver Broncos +225
- Arizona Cardinals +300
- Houston Texans +500
- Carolina Panthers +550
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers +700
- Los Angeles Chargers +1200
- Indianapolis Colts +1500
These teams may have to fight each other for the right to hire the coach, and it may cost them a pretty penny.