Saints Get Surprising Update on Sean Payton's Potential NFL Return

The New Orleans Saints have undoubtedly struggled in their first year without Sean Payton at the helm. Given Dennis Allen's obvious shortcomings as a head coach and Payton's hints at returning to the sidelines, there's speculation about a potential reunion in 2023.

Now a new rumor adds fuel to that fire.

People close to Sean Payton think he's going to coach in 2023. I asked one of them to rank where he'd most likely coach. He listed the Saints No. 1.

Jeff Duncan: If Sean Payton is going to coach somewhere in 2023, it needs to be the Saints https://t.co/1yCvbLZYbu via @nolanews
— Jeff Duncan (@JeffDuncan_) December 11, 2022

Sean Payton News

Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com reports Payton could end up back in New Orleans "if things go sideways" down the stretch. One person close to the former HC even pegged the Saints as the No. 1 landing spot for Payton if he returns to the NFL next season.

"One person close to Payton and familiar with his thinking believes a return to the Saints is possible 'if things go sideways' in New Orleans. He went so far as to rank the Saints No. 1 on the list of teams Payton might coach in 2023 if he elects to return to coaching."
- Jeff Duncan, NOLA.com

This certainly adds a ton of intrigue to the situation. Allen has been just as unimpressive as the last time he was a head coach, and it feels like the coaching staff is holding this team back from its best self. However, Allen is also well-respected throughout the organization and the front office obviously envisioned him lasting longer than a year.

Payton is going to be a hot commodity this offseason with a couple of vacancies already around the league and a few more likely to pop up. Contenders would gladly offer the Saints whatever it takes to poach the Super Bowl winner, but the team could eliminate that possibility by reuniting with him.

New Orleans' head-coaching situation will be something to keep a close eye on once the regular season concludes.

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Isaiah De Los Santos is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Isaiah De Los Santos also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username zayyy05328. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.