Sean Payton steps away from Saints | press conference photos

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Former New Orleans Saints Head Coach Sean Payton Takes Playful Jab at Eli Apple in Farewell News Conference

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Former Saints Head Coach Sean Payton Takes Playful Jab at Eli Apple in Farewell News Conference

CINCINNATI — Sean Payton met with the media on Tuesday after deciding to step down from his post as head coach of the New Orleans Saints.

Payton spent 15 seasons as the Saints head coach, which included one Super Bowl run and seven division titles.

The Bengals have multiple former Saints players on their roster, including Vonn Bell, Trey Hendrickson and Eli Apple.

Payton took a playful jab at Apple following his recent social media exchange with Saints fans.

“When they end up on a different roster, man we’re pulling for ya,” Payton said. “Like I’m pulling for Vonn Bell and Trey (Hendrickson). Eli a little bit.”

Hendrickson, Bell and Apple have been a big part of the Bengals’ defense this season. The trio will need to play well on Sunday if they’re going to upset the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game.

Make sure you bookmark All Bengals for the latest NFL news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

Mike Francesa: Giants need to trade for Sean Payton

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The New York Giants are currently on the hunt for a head coach and Mike Francesa believes he knows what the organization should do.

The former WFAN host tweeted earlier this week that the Giants and newly hired general manager Joe Schoen should trade for New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton.

The Giants need to take this opportunity to trade for Sean Payton. He is the right coach to rebuild this mess. — Mike Francesa (@MikeFrancesa) January 24, 2022

Currently, Payton’s future is very much up in the air. And that’s not just specific to the Saints, but the NFL as a whole.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that Payton, who has three years remaining on his current deal, has not committed to a New Orleans return.

Meanwhile, Jay Glazer of Sports Illustrated believes Payton may be considering retirement.

“Sean (Payton) changes his mind every two seconds. We talk about it a lot. It’s why I haven’t reported anything because he changes his mind like every two minutes,” Glazer told 105.3 The Fan.

“But that’s also why I said two weeks ago on FOX NFL Sunday during the coaching carousel was that there could be a coach or two step away just because of these last two years of COVID. It’s taken its toll on people.”

Even Saints owner Gayle Benson is uncertain about Payton’s future.

“We don’t know. You know, who knows? We’ll find out soon enough, I guess,” Benson said on Monday. “I don’t think any of us know. But he’ll let us know soon enough.”

There are also rumors swirling that Payton could land with FOX Sports in the event Troy Aikman departs for Amazon.

Payton has spent the past15 seasons coaching the Saints, which comes on the heels of three years as an assistant with the Dallas Cowboys. Prior to that, he spent four years with the Giants — three of those as the offensive coordinator under the late Jim Fassel.

Although Payton would be an ideal solution for the Giants, the team can ill-afford to trade away draft assets for a coach when their roster is so talent-starved. Especially if said coach isn’t sure he even wants to coach anymore.

‘Taking a chance’ on Sean Payton 16 years ago worked out pretty well for the Saints

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After an exhaustive two-week search, Mickey Loomis arrived at a crucial decision for the future of the New Orleans Saints on the evening of Jan. 16, 2006.

Two days later, Loomis and the late Saints owner Tom Benson formally introduced Dallas Cowboys assistant Sean Payton — a disciple of Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells — as the 14th head coach of the Saints.

At that moment, no one in a city and region that were still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Katrina could have even dreamed of what was to come.

But there was hope, certainly.

When the 42-year-old Payton walked into the room at the training facility in Metairie that afternoon, it was his first day as a head coach at any level of football.

“You want to be in a position where you think you can win,” he said that day. “I’m looking forward to that.”

“I believe today we have hired a head coach that has what it takes to bring a championship to this city,” Loomis said, “a city and a fan base that is very deserving of a championship.”

It still wasn’t hard for media and fans to wonder what the Saints were getting in their next coach. That sentiment didn’t last long.

After immediately acknowledging how tough 2005 had been on the area and the Saints organization, Payton set his sights on the monumental task he faced after nine seasons as an NFL assistant and nine seasons in the college ranks.

“I hope in some small way the effort of this team in 2006, and beyond, will represent this city and region well and show the country New Orleans is back and a team to be reckoned with in the NFC South,” he said.

It turned out to be a match made in Who Dat heaven.

Payton made the Saints a force to be reckoned with right from the start, which lasted for 16 years until he walked away Tuesday afternoon — leaving his fingerprints all over the Vince Lombardi Trophy his team won after the 2009 season.

His list of accomplishments is long:

• 152 regular-season wins (161 counting postseason).

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• Ten winning seasons.

• Nine playoff appearances.

• Seven NFC South titles.

• Three NFC championship games.

• A win in Super Bowl XLIV.

Among the dozens of people Payton thanked Tuesday for the opportunity were Benson, who died in 2018, and Loomis, who was seated to Payton’s left along with owner Gayle Benson and team president Dennis Lauscha.

Payton said he would often visit Benson in his office and talk about family more than they would about football.

“I miss him and realize the time, and the timing, of me coming here in 2006 was perfect,” he said. “Obviously, us having some early success worked out, but I wish he was here.”

Payton then talked about Loomis and the importance of having ownership and a front office in alignment with the coaches, players and support staff for 16 years.

“Mickey Loomis, a dear friend,” he said. “Just as importantly, my general manager and just as importantly the person who gave me this opportunity. He took a chance on a first-year head coach, and you guys kind of know the batting average and challenges for these positions.

“We were always in concert. It didn’t mean that we always agreed, but we were always in concert.”

Payton admitted he couldn’t have envisioned what would happen when he accepted the challenge of leading the Saints to dizzying heights that fans could only imagine in the first 39 seasons of the franchise’s existence.

“Honestly, you don’t even think about the ending,” he said. “Like, you don’t have time to think about ‘what-if?’

“Listen, I had no idea about 15 years. I was just focused on just going and winning and winning and getting more players and people that can help you win. It doesn’t seem like 15 seasons … honestly, it seems more like 11.”

Saints: 2 favorites quickly emerge to replace Sean Payton as head coach

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It’s official. Sean Payton has officially stepped down as the head coach of the New Orleans Saints after 15 seasons at the helm. There’s no time to grieve for the Saints, though, and looking for a replacement coach has become the top priority for the franchise at this point in their offseason. As it turns out, two candidates have already emerged as the frontrunners to take over Payton’s recently vacated post.

According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen and Aaron Glenn of the Detroit Lions are currently leading the race for the head coaching job in New Orleans:

Expect the #Saints to interview Dennis Allen — considered the leading candidate — and #Lions DC Aaron Glenn for their now vacant HC job. https://t.co/7v8gr8GW0c — Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 25, 2022

Allen joined the Saints as a defensive assistant back in 2015. He was later promoted as the squad’s defensive coordinator when Rob Ryan was fired that same year. Prior to joining New Orleans, Allen also had stints with the Oakland Raiders, the Denver Broncos, and the Atlanta Falcons. He also served as a defensive line coach and a secondary coach with the Saints between 2006 and 2010.

Aaron Glenn, on the other hand, currently holds the position of defensive coordinator for the Lions. Glenn, a three-time Pro Bowler who spent the majority of his career with the New York Jets, has been the DC for the Lions since January of 2021. As a coach/scout, the 49-year-old has worked for the Cleveland Browns, the Jets, as well as the Saints as a secondary coach between 2016 and 2021.