Payton’s place: NFL ‘insiders’ speculate on whether Saints’ coach is returning

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - Here we go again.

After an exhausting slog through a 9-8 season in which four different starting quarterbacks saw action, Saints coach Sean Payton set social media ablaze with speculation that he might be finished in New Orleans, apparently because he wasn’t returning messages last week while vacationing in Mexico.

The horror!

According to Fox 8 analyst Jeff Duncan, Payton is back from vacation and is expected back in the Saints’ Metairie offices on Monday. Duncan said he has seen no indication that Payton isn’t planning to resume work for the Saints, whom he has coached for 16 years and with whom he has three years remaining on his latest five-year contract.

But with potential suitors in Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, New York and network television booths hanging in the ether, speculation isn’t going away until Payton publicly declares his continued allegiance to the Black & Gold.

The latest “NFL insiders” to wonder aloud when or if that will happen were NFL Network reporters Ian Rapoport and Mike Garofolo, who published their takes Sunday (Jan. 23):

#Saints coach Sean Payton has not committed to returning to New Orleans for 2022. And many close to him don’t know what he’ll do.

My story: https://t.co/CeJK9tI5Te
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 23, 2022

TV networks have been circling around him for a minute. He knows there’s significant interest there if he decides to step away from coaching. https://t.co/Cggz8CLJ2J
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) January 23, 2022

And others also are weighing in:

The reality with Sean Payton is that multiple broadcast networks are very interested in him and after 16 years in New Orleans wonder if he might want to reboot on TV with the Saints in a tough cap situation and without a proven QB under contract. Where it goes remains to be seen
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) January 23, 2022

Wow, I have heard this before and all those Saint fans now you can yell at Ian as you did to me for the past two weeks, even though we are both right. Well done Ian https://t.co/fQSsGqJjc9
— Michael Lombardi (@mlombardiNFL) January 23, 2022

The Giants should just interview Kevin James to satisfy the fan base for those who woke up this morning dreaming of Sean Payton.
— Art Stapleton (@art_stapleton) January 23, 2022

Lemme know when Sean Payton say that out his own mouth. https://t.co/1kF2WaL2fw
— Stunnaman Monday. (@OgMonday) January 23, 2022

Patrick Sean Payton is gonna retire a Saint. He's gonna live out his days in New Orleans, and die with a king cake at his bedside, clutching his mardi gras beads, and have "when the saints go marching in" played at his funeral.

Y'all don't even stress about this. https://t.co/mFMWs33A9d
— Mikaela (@justmikaela9) January 23, 2022

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