Which teams should think about trading big for Sean Payton?

One of the best talents in the NFL is a San Mateo, California native. And it is not Tom Brady. In fact, it is not a quarterback, running back, or wide receiver. It is a head coach, a stellar head coach, legendary in fact.

Sean Payton came to New Orleans when they had a history of sometimes making it into the playoffs, but no more. He built a system that had one of the most dynamic offenses in the league, scoring more points at 2,804 and chewing up more yards at 40,158 than any other team in any other coach’s first 100 games in NFL history.

In his 16 seasons with the Saints, Payton steered the team to three NFC Championship games, a victory in Super Bowl XLIV, and nine playoff berths with seven division titles, making him the most successful coach in Saints franchise history.

Apart from Bill Belichick’s 22-year tenure in New England, no team has been more loyal to their skipper than the Saints were to Payton, and when he retired at the end of 2021, the city was left reeling and rudderless. The loss of Payton and legendary quarterback Drew Brees at the same time was a heavy one-two punch to the gut of the Saints fan base.

When Payton made it clear to the world that he expected to return to coaching “sooner rather than later”, early enthusiasm in the Crescent City at the thought of perhaps coaxing him back into the black and gold gave way to sad resignation as it became more evident that he would likely prefer to start anew somewhere else.

Reports that Jerry Jones was interested in him made Saints fans hearts sink, because while Jones might be a greasy snake-oil salesman, clearly distasteful to absolutely everyone outside of the Dallas-Fort Worth Outer Loop, he has a way of getting just what he wants.

So while the Saints will continue under a Sean Payton-designed game plan, with a Sean Payton-apprenticed head coach, they will have to soldier on without the man himself.

Owner Gayle Benson will be keenly aware, however, of the massive chip that she has in the game at this moment. There is likely to be a full-on scrum for Payton as soon as the Super Bowl ends, with teams climbing all over each other to get at him. And those who do will have to pay the Saints dearly.

With another year left on his contract with New Orleans, the Saints will hold the cards in dealing and are unlikely to let him go for anything less than a first round pick.

Denver Broncos

While the Broncos are expected to be the most aggressive team in the pursuit of a head coach, they may balk at giving up yet another chunk of their future, for Payton or anyone else. They went all in just a year ago when they acquired Russell Wilson and have very little draft capital to spare. Apart from this, they would have to convince Payton to come to Denver, a situation that both sides may be uncomfortable with, given how reluctant Greg Penner will be to surrender full control of the team and how Payton is unlikely to accept anything less.

Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers are a franchise in flux. While they have traditionally been frugal with their shopping list, their move up the coast to LA has put them into a bigger class, one that will see them want to slug it out with the Rams for dominance of the city’s fan base. In order to get this, they will need to spend a bit of money, and they could be willing to give away a first round pick to bring in a talent like Sean Payton. In the long term, it would be perhaps the cheapest move that they could make.

Houston Texans

Maybe the best fit for Payton would be the Houston Texans, who are in dire need of a total rebuild, much as the Saints were in 2004. Lovie Smith came in with great promise, but his tenure was overshadowed by the dealings, both legal and contractural, with Deshaun Watson. Payton will almost certainly be handed the reins and allowed to hire, fire, draft, and build his own team, from the front office down in any deal that Houston would do with him, but they will have the number one overall pick in next year’s draft and that may be more than they are prepared to give.

Arizona Cardinals

A team that might pique Payton’s interest is Arizona, who are just a few missing pieces away from being a Super Bowl contender. With Kyler Murray under center and an ageing offensive line to rebuild, this could be a move that would bear fruit in a very short span. With both the GM and coach out of the picture, Sean Payton would be able to negotiate a fair amount of control in any deal and the sticking point may turn out to be that draft pick that the Saints would require.