Saints Owner On Sean Payton’s Status: ‘Who Knows?’

Saints owner Gayle Benson was asked about HC Sean Payton‘s status after reports that he might not be the team’s coach in 2022. 

Saints owner Gayle Benson was asked about Sean Payton today @FOX8NOLA @oliviavidaltv pic.twitter.com/OyoYDjsqO0

— Sean FazendeFOX8 (@SeanFazendeFOX8) January 24, 2022

“Who knows? We’ll find out soon enough, I guess,” she said via Fox 8’s Sean Fazende. “I don’t think any of us know, but he’ll let us know soon enough.”

This basically confirms reports from yesterday that indicated Payton has not told the team he plans to be back in 2022 and his future is in doubt. 

Nick Underhill says Payton is back from vacation and at the team facility, but that doesn’t necessarily indicate anything one way or the other. 

Payton has been the coach since 2006 and has three years left on his contract worth at least $45 million. But there have been quiet whispers about Payton for a few weeks now and it appears he’s thinking about stepping away from the game. 

Rapoport uses the example of Buccaneers HC Bruce Arians, who retired in 2017 and did some broadcast work before coming back to coach Tampa Bay, which sent some draft compensation to the Cardinals to take on Arians’ deal. 

There has been a lot of rumored broadcast interest in Payton recently, for what it’s worth, and the coach is long thought to be someone who would excel on TV once he’s ready to step away. 

Payton, 58, began his NFL coaching career with the Eagles as their QBs coach back in 1997. He later joined the Giants for three seasons before the Cowboys hired him as their assistant HC/QBs coach for the 2003 season. 

The Saints brought Payton in as their head coach for the 2006 season and he’s remained in New Orleans since then. He agreed to an extension that will keep him in New Orleans through the 2024 season back in 2019. 

For his career, Payton has led the Saints to a record of 152-89 (63.1 percent), which includes nine playoff appearances and one Super Bowl title in 2009. 

We’ll have more on Payton as the news is available.