Sean Payton has been welcomed back to the NFL.
According to sources, NFL Network Insiders Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport reported on Tuesday that the Denver Broncos and the Next Orleans Saints had struck an agreement for them to serve as the team’s new head coach.
According to Rapoport, Denver will send Payton to New Orleans in exchange for the 29th overall selection in the 2023 first round, a second-round pick in 2024, and maybe a third-round pick. Payton still had a contract with the Saints following his retirement in 2021, which made negotiations between New Orleans and any would-be suitors, of whom there were many, challenging.
Payton had interviews with four of the five teams that had vacancies for head coaches during his time as a Fox Sports studio pundit this season (Broncos, Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, Houston Texans).
The Broncos had interviews with a variety of candidates before selecting Payton. Denver’s search for a new head coach took more than a month after Nathaniel Hackett was fired the day after Christmas, only 15 games into his first season with the organisation.
The Broncos, currently led by owner and CEO Greg Penner, conducted interviews with eight applicants. Targets dwindled along the way as the candidates progressed from the collegiate levels (Jim Harbaugh, David Shaw), to the coordinator pool (Ejiro Evero, Raheem Morris, Dan Quinn, and DeMeco Ryans), to seasoned head coaches (Jim Caldwell, Payton). Quinn returned when Harbaugh declared he would stay at Michigan.
According to Rapoport, the Texans narrowed down their search for Ryans following the Broncos’ first round of interviews. Ryans had led the 49ers defence to top-three finishes during his two years as their defensive coordinator. Then, last week, Denver boarded a plane for Ann Arbor to reopen negotiations with Harbaugh, who had success in the NFL throughout the 2010s as the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers.
According to Rapoport’s report on Tuesday, when that failed, Denver made one more effort to sign Ryans before attempting to contract Payton. But the coordinator had his sights set on Houston after San Francisco lost the NFC championship game on Sunday.
According to Rapoport, the Texans narrowed down their search for Ryans following the Broncos’ first round of interviews. Ryans had led the 49ers defence to top-three finishes during his two years as their defensive coordinator. Then, last week, Denver boarded a plane for Ann Arbor to reopen negotiations with Harbaugh, who had success in the NFL throughout the 2010s as the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. According to Rapoport’s report on Tuesday, when that failed, Denver made one more effort to sign Ryans before attempting to contract Payton. But the coordinator had his sights set on Houston after San Francisco lost the NFC championship game on Sunday.
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