Payton steps down after 15 seasons as Saints coach
New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton, whose 15-year tenure with the club included its only Super Bowl championship, is leaving coaching.
Payton informed the team on Tuesday that he is leaving his first and only NFL head coaching job with a 152-89 regular-season record — and nine playoff appearances — in 15 seasons. The Saints won the NFL title in 2009.
“I don’t like the word retirement,” he said. “I still have a vision for doing things in football. And I’ll be honest with you, that might be coaching again at some point. I don’t think it’s this year, I think maybe in the future. That’s not where my heart is right now.”
The Saints made Payton a first-time head coach in 2006, when he oversaw a stunning turnaround in the franchise’s first season back in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. The club had been displaced from the city during the entire 2005 season, going 3-13.
The Saints went 10-6 and advanced to the NFC championship game in Payton’s first season. He has coached the Saints to the postseason eight other times in his 15 seasons since.
New Orleans narrowly missed the playoffs this season, going 9-8 in its first campaign since the retirement of Drew Brees. Payton had lured the quarterback to New Orleans as a free agent in 2006 and Brees went on to set every significant franchise passing record.
Under Payton, the Saints became a perennial contender, and they beat Peyton
Manning and Indianapolis 31-17 to win their lone Super Bowl. They also lost the 2018 conference title game to the Rams.
A valued offensive assistant for the Eagles, Giants and Cowboys before landing the head coaching job in New Orleans, Payton actually played in the NFL — as a replacement player for the Bears during the 1987 strike.
He missed the 2012 season when the NFL suspended Payton, assistant coach Joe Vitt, general manager Mickey Loomis and four players after an investigation found the Saints had a performance pool offering cash rewards for key plays, including big hits. The player suspensions eventually were overturned .Payton was reinstated early in 2013.
Including playoffs, Payton has a 161-97 record, by far the most victories of any Saints coach. Jim Mora, who coached
New Orleans from 1986 to 1996, is second with 93.
Payton won seven NFC South titles.
RODGERS SAYS NO COMEBACK WHEN HE RETIRES >>
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers says he can’t envision coming out of retirement once he ends his playing career.
Rodgers has said he hasn’t decided whether to return to the Packers, pursue a trade or retire. The three-time MVP went into more details about his future Tuesday on “The Pat McAfee Show” on YouTube and SiriusXM.
“One thing I would not do, 100% not do, is retire and then come back a year later,” the former Cal star said. “I don’t have any desire to do that. That makes no sense.”
Rodgers earned All-Pro honors this season, though he struggled Saturday in a 13-10 NFC divisional playoff loss to the 49ers.
The 38-year-old Rodgers said after that game he would try to decide on his future before the free agency period begins in March.
Rodgers updated that timeline Tuesday by referencing late February, when teams can start giving out franchise tags to potential free agents.
“I think that should be enough time to make a decision, by then,” Rodgers said. “I don’t want to put myself on a specific date, but again, I do want to be sensitive to Davante and many other guys who have decisions to make on their own futures. To drag it out past free agency would be disrespectful to the organization and to those guys, and that 100% will not happen.” DIVISIONAL ROUND HAS RECORD RATINGS >> The four NFL divisional round playoff games had the highest average viewers on record with 38.2 million tuning in on television and digital platforms.
Besides it being the highest average for the divisional round since Nielsen started keeping track of viewer averages in 1988, it was a 20% increase over last year and up 12% compared to two years ago.
Kansas City’s 42-36 overtime victory over Buffalo averaged 42.74 million on CBS, making it the mostwatched divisional playoff game on any network since the 2017 Green BayDallas matchup averaged 48.52 million on Fox. Sunday night’s audience peaked at 51.70 million.
Sunday’s first game — the Rams’ 30-27 win over Tampa Bay — averaged 40 million.
The 49ers’ 13-10 victory over the Packers on Saturday night averaged 36.92 million on Fox while Cincinnati’s 19-16 win over Tennessee drew 30.75 million.