Saints Head Coach Sean Payton is Retiring!

Big news came in earlier today that New Orleans Saints Head Coach Sean Payton has decided to sit back and watch the game from now on from the sidelines…

Sources: Sean Payton has informed the #Saints that he’s stepping away.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 25, 2022

CelebnSports247.com reports that Sean Payton will be stepping away as New Orleans head coach after 16 years.

FOX8 reports:

He finishes with a 152-89 overall record, a Super Bowl XLIV championship, five seasons with more than 12 wins, and was named AP Coach of the Year in 2006. He is the NFL’s second-longest tenured coach with the same team behind the New England Patriots’ Bill Belichick.

Payton held a news conference from the Saints facility on Tuesday, Jan. 25. He began by thanking owner Gayle Benson and her late husband, Tom Benson. He gifted Benson with a king cake, saying it was his version of TV character Ted Lasso’s biscuit tradition.

He said Benson told him to spend some time away from the team the past couple of weeks. He vacationed in Mexico before meeting with Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis on Monday.

Payton said he doesn’t like the word “retirement” and can’t rule out a return to coaching in the future. But “that’s not where my heart is right now.”

What’s Next for Payton?

Sean Payton said:

I don’t know what’s next.

Though he new it was the right time to step down.

He continued:

I just felt like this season was challenging for everyone but man I felt like it was time and I felt that way heading into training camp. But you never tell that to anyone… let’s see how the season goes. I felt the time was right for me. It was something I was thinking about.

Benson said following Payton’s briefing: