Getty Image / Vivien Killilea
This offseason, there is no coaching candidate drawing more attention than Sean Payton.
Despite still being under contract with the New Orleans Saints, there are a few teams looking to draw Sean Payton back to coaching after a year as a broadcaster.
Those teams reportedly include the Denver Broncos, Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, and Houston Texans.
Whoever it is that ends up attracting Payton to their franchise, it is going to be a costly endeavor.
It has already been reported that the Saints are expecting to get a first round pick from whatever team Payton leaves for.
That will likely be an unrealistic demand as 3 of those teams will be drafting very early in round 1 and the 4th team doesn’t have a 1st round pick this season.
However, they are still likely to be looking for some kind of draft capital haul in exchange for Payton.
Now it looks like that won’t be the only big expense for anybody interested in making Payton their next head coach.
According to a report from NOLA.com’s Jeff Duncan, Payton is looking for a 4-year contract that pays $20-25 million per year.
Let's try this again… My column:
Jeff Duncan: Can the Sean Payton sweepstakes end with a win-win? We'll soon find out.
Link: https://t.co/b9aOySEvOB pic.twitter.com/UyQykwdEV2
— Jeff Duncan (@JeffDuncan_) January 18, 2023
That contract demand would make Sean Payton the league’s highest paid coach.
Bill Belichick is currently believed to have the league’s largest salary at a reported $20 million per year.
It’s a huge investment in a coach, but could be worth it if he’s able to turn one of these franchises around.
All of the teams currently interested in Payton struggled on offense this past season and he may be just the person to fix their woes.
The steep price of bringing Payton in could limit interest and he’ll have high expectations to live up to if a team ends up handing him a contract with $20 million per year or more.