Sean Payton, the head coach of the Saints for sixteen years, is leaving.

 

Sean Payton is leaving the New Orleans Saints after 16 years of service, which included nine postseason appearances, seven NFC South championships, and a Super Bowl victory. The cherished coach declared during a tearful press conference on Tuesday that he would not be coaching or going back to the Saints in 2022.

Though he admittedly had no idea what lay ahead for him, Payton expressed excitement at the prospect of trying something different and left the door open to returning to football.

“I still have a vision for doing things in football, and I’ll be honest with you, I might be coaching again at some point,” he stated. “I doubt that will happen this year. Perhaps in the future, I believe. However, my heart is not in that right now.”

What could Payton expect in the near future? A job as a TV analyst. The 58-year-old, who has no intention of retiring, said he discussed potential career options as an analyst with former Saints quarterback and NBC Sports commentator Drew Brees, but he hasn’t yet inked a contract with any TV or radio media outlets.

The longest and most prosperous coaching tenure in Saints history is held by Sean Payton. His final regular-season record is 152-89; he has ten winning seasons under his belt, and the team’s lone Super Bowl victory came in 2010. Prior to Payton joining the Saints in 2006, the club had not received many noteworthy awards. Twenty years after its founding in 1967, they had their first winning season, and they hadn’t won a postseason game until 2000.

While there is no doubting Payton’s contributions to Saints Nation, the coach, ever the gentleman, ended his stint with the show by reversing the script and offering some of his own signs of gratitude.

“I like to watch television. I kind of like Ted Lasso, plus it’s Mardi Gras season. I do feel regretful. After 15 seasons and 16 years in this position, he declared, “I have the best female owner in sports,” drawing a comparison between fictional AFC Richmond owner Rebecca Welton and 33-year-old Saints owner Gayle Benson.

He got up and gave Benson a king cake and a big embrace, saying, “We don’t do biscuits here in New Orleans, but we do king cake, so where’s Mrs. B?”

Payton went back to his seat and said he had brought an additional 100 king cakes to split with the press conference attendees and the media. That’s what we refer to as a class act now. Sean Payton, we shall miss you.