Sean Payton has left the door open for an NFL return, and it appears the former New Orleans Saints head coach has started to build his potential staff.
The Super Bowl-winning coach, who turns 59 on Dec. 29, reportedly will include former Denver Broncos head coach Vic Fangio on his “all-star staff,” according to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter.
“Payton has been working as an analyst at FOX, but he also is watching from afar as the NFL’s coaching carousel is expected to continue to spin later this month with what experts expect to be somewhere between five and seven head coach openings,” sources told Schefter.
The Carolina Panthers and the Indianapolis Colts have fired their head coaches this season, and Kliff Kingsbury’s future in Arizona looks bleak despite signing an extension last offseason.
Payton reportedly has a short list of teams that includes the Los Angeles Rams, Los Angeles Chargers and the Cardinals.
There reportedly is belief the dominos will fall with the Rams once Sean McVay decides to call it a career. The Chargers hold the No. 6 seed in the AFC with an 8-6 record heading into Week 16, so Brandon Staley’s job is theoretically safe.
Acquiring Payton will not come cheap, however. The Saints still retain his rights, so a team will have to make Payton one of the highest-paid head coaches in the league and compensate New Orleans likely with multiple draft picks, sources told Schefter.
A franchise might see the loss of capital as a worthy risk given Payton’s credentials, and the job pool will continue to grow as the NFL regular season draws to a close.
