The New Orleans Saints could change the franchise if they trade Sean Payton this season.
Despite his retirement after last season, the New Orleans Saints still own the rights to Sean Payton.
He may be enjoying his new job as an NFL analyst for FOX, but Payton would still have about 10 years of quality training in the tank if he so chose. His sudden retirement shocked New Orleans, but Saints brass managed to upgrade defensive coordinator Dennis Allen from the inside. However, if Payton were to become head coach of the NFL again, he certainly wouldn’t be in New Orleans.
With divisional contender Matt Rowley fired from the Carolina Panthers on Monday, one would think Payton would be at the top of the list of teams looking for new coaches in this off-season. The belief is that Payton would have the first-round pick if the Saints were to trade him. Carolina plays in the same Saints division, which makes things difficult. Then again, David Tepper is unique…
The Saints own the rights to coach Payton until the 2023 season. After that, he became a free agent.
New Orleans Saints: Sean Payton Rights Trading Could Change Franchise
The reason why choosing the first round is so important is that this is the precedent that is set when it comes to trading with a high-quality football coach. Although the last time it happened was more than 20 years ago, the Tampa Bay Pirates do not regret trading Jon Gruden in a deal with the then Oakland Raiders. A lot has changed since then, but Gruden brought to the Tampa Bay Super Bowl…
Interestingly, the two teams associated with Payton if he returns to training next year are the Carolinas and the Dallas Cowboys. The Carolina fit team relates to Tepper being an aggressive owner, as well as the Panthers being the only team with a current head coach vacancy. Of course, trading for Payton would cost Carolina her first-round pick, and they need a midfielder…
The Dallas connection is mostly due to Payton who previously worked under Jerry Jones as part of Bill Parcells’ Cowboys crew. It sounds like a far-fetched dream, as Jones doesn’t do well with head coaches who want a say in the staff: Parcells and Jimmy Johnson were most famous before that. Additionally, Dallas wins games with a quarterback back up. Then again, how much does he love Mike McCarthy?
In short, if Payton is to be traded by the Saints in this off-season, it must be a team with one of two things: residency in the AFC or having more than one first-round pick. Otherwise, it’s very punitive to trade a head coach to the Conference Hall of Fame at the conference. The Houston Texans, the Detroit Lions and the Seattle Seahawks all have multiple picks in the first round.
If we look at the AFC teams that could make a head coach change, follow the Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Chargers and New England Patriots. Things are not going well for Frank Reich in Indianapolis. List of chargers loaded, but Brandon Staley is a problem. Bill Belichick could retire and that means the Patriots are about to enter a very tough patch.
So why does this potential trade appear as a change of privilege to saints? Well, they’ll get a first-round pick in what appears to be one of the best draft quarterback chapters in years. New Orleans may not be in a position to draft CJ Stroud, Bryce Young, or even Will Levis, but they could combine potential first-round picks into an all-out deal this spring.
Even if general manager Mickey Loomis thinks he can win matches with James Winston healthy under center, the Saints can use that extra selection in the next first round of Payton’s theoretical deal to boost their passing dash or add a notable offensive weapon. Loomis capitalized on the uncertainty of picking one Pro Bowl player after another with his Saints first-round draft selections.
It all comes down to whether Payton wants to train again, but the Saints have to listen to all the trade shows.
[ad_2]
