Getty Image / Cooper Neill
When football fans starting thinking about what this NFL offseason’s coaching carousel would look like, many believed there would be teams fighting to land Sean Payton.
That hasn’t been how things have worked out now that teams are beginning to make their decisions on who they want to be their next coach.
The Denver Broncos are reportedly leaning toward another coach as their top option. The Cowboys aren’t replacing Mike McCarthy. At this point, there have even been reports that he could return to broadcasting for another year to wait for a better job to open up.
Today, Payton had an interview that could change those plans.
According to compare.bet’s Kyle Odegard, Payton has been interviewing with the Arizona Cardinals’ new GM, Monti Ossenfort, and their owner, Michael Bidwill, for much of today.
Sean Payton has been on-site interviewing with the Cardinals for much of the day, per source. He’s currently eating lunch with owner Michael Bidwill and GM Monti Ossenfort.
— Kyle Odegard (@Kyle_Odegard) January 26, 2023
There had recently been rumors that the Cardinals were leaning towards Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to fill their head coaching position, but it was announced today that he would be staying with the Cowboys.
Payton could very well be the best option available to the Arizona Cardinals.
Right now, the league appears to be trending toward offensive coaches with all 4 of the coaches remaining in the playoffs having backgrounds on offense and 3 of the other 4 coaches in the last round having worked on offense before becoming head coaches.
We also just saw what hiring a coach with a Super Bowl ring can do for a franchise with the jaguars turning things around this season.
While the rumored contract demands and trade price could be deterrents, the lack other bidders will likely help the Cardinals make a reasonable trade for Payton.
Maybe there’s still a chance we’ll see Payton coaching in the NFL again next season.