After an especially eventful round of rumors at the end of the 2015 season suggesting that Sean Payton may be moving on from New Orleans, the Saints ultimately announced that they were retaining their head coach. Now, it looks like just a matter of time until the two sides commit to extending the relationship by working out a new contract agreement.
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According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Payton said in an interview that will air on Thursday night on NBCSN that he is close to finalizing an extension with the Saints. The veteran head coach also said that he sees himself remaining in New Orleans for at least the next four or five years, which is presumably the amount of time the new contract will cover.
Payton’s current deal is set to expire after the 2017 season, meaning he still has two years left on it. That contract is believed to be worth $8MM per year, which would make him one of the league’s highest-paid coaches. Assuming the two sides finalize an extension, it’s unlikely that the new deal would pay him any less than that.
During Payton’s nine seasons with the Saints, the team has an 87-57 record during the regular season. Payton has also led the club to a 6-4 record in five playoff appearances, including a Super Bowl win following the 2009 season. New Orleans has now gone 7-9 in consecutive years after averaging 12 victories per season in Payton’s previous four years.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
I do wonder what the Saints could have gotten for Payton in a trade. Their short-term prospects look fairly bleak, and if someone was willing to pony up a couple of higher draft choices to land Payton, that might have been something to think about.