Sean Payton Reportedly Meeting With Cardinals This Week

According to Howard Balzer, the Arizona Cardinals have scheduled a meeting with former Saints HC Sean Payton on Thursday. 

Though Arizona requested permission to interview Payton a couple of weeks ago, this is the first reported contact between the two sides. 

The Cardinals had been in the midst of a search for a general manager and have since hired Monti Ossenfort.

Other reports have indicated Payton will interview with the Broncos a second time this week, while he is scheduled to interview with the Panthers today after their initial meeting was pushed back due to the tragic passing of Charlotte FC player Anton Walkes. Panthers owner Dave Tepper also owns Charlotte FC. The Texans have interviewed Payton as well. 

In an interview last week, Payton said he thought the Saints would take a “mid-to-late first-round pick” in exchange for his contractual rights. 

Payton, 59, 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 later agreed to an extension that would have kept him in New Orleans through the 2024 season back in 2019. However, he elected to retire after the 2021 season and join FOX as an analyst. 

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.