Sean Payton is widely regarded as one of the best NFL head coaches of all time.
As such, it is relatively unsurprising that numerous front offices have interest in having him at the helm of their teams.
Earlier this week the Arizona Cardinals fired Kliff Kingsbury and entered the fray as one of the squads looking closely at Payton.
On Wednesday, they joined the Houston Texans in asking the New Orleans Saints for permission to speak to Payton, who remains under contract with them because he retired part of the way through his contract.
The three teams most closely linked to Payton are the Cardinals, Texans and Denver Broncos.
Of that group, there appears to be one frontrunner for Payton’s services:
For now, the #Cardinals are the favorite to land Sean Payton if he decides to leave Fox. #NFLRumors pic.twitter.com/SjiNCvdPAQ
— NFL Rumors (@nflrums) January 10, 2023
Kingsbury spent four years in Arizona and amassed a record of 28-37-1. This past season he seemed far more concerned about beefing with his quarterback Kyler Murray and ogling his girlfriend than winning games. It showed in the on-the-field product.
Payton is a pro’s pro, so the Cardinals likely wouldn’t have those types of problems with him.
That said, last summer Payton expressed an interest in teaming up with Tom Brady.
Brady is set to become a free agent this summer, and one team stands above all others as the frontrunner for his services.
If Payton and Brady truly want to work together, next season would probably be the last chance either man gets. Brady is 45 years old, after all.
Stephen A. always keeps it real. https://t.co/T6Kqu9Cb44
— Game 7 (@game7__) January 11, 2023
The next few months promise to be interesting.
Arizona has some intriguing pieces to work with and Payton would be an ideal person to maximize the potential of a smaller quarterback like Murray.
That said, a lot of pieces need to align in order for this union to happen.
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Jennifer Withers Hoey is a former Business Development Manager who transitioned to writing about sports. With valuable connections all over the West Coast, she has used those contacts to break some of the most interesting stories pertaining to the Portland Trail Blazers, Oregon Ducks, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Seattle Supersonics (RIP), and more.
