New Theory Emerges About Sean Payton’s Future Based On His Two Biggest Mentors

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  • Sean Payton is no longer the head coach of the New Orleans Saints.
  • Although he is currently unemployed, he maintains that he is not “retired” and, based on the paths of his mentors, his future could be pretty clear.
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When Sean Payton suddenly stepped down from the New Orleans Saints on Tuesday, it sent shockwaves around the NFL. Speculation immediately began about what Payton’s future may look like and one new theory makes a lot of sense.

Payton, who has been (speculatively) linked to the Cowboys and Bears, made it very clear that he does not plan to coach another team in 2022. He said that it is not where his heart is right now.

But he made it very clear that “retirement is not the right word” for his resignation. Payton also did not rule out the idea of coaching in the future, though he said that he is interested in pursuing a TV analyst job.

As a result of his comments, a new theory makes a lot of sense.

Payton was destined to be a good coach no matter how his career would have shaken out. However, two big breaks really helped him get to where he was going— when Jon Gruden hired him in Philadelphia and when Bill Parcells hired him to coach in Dallas.

Gruden, who was the offensive coordinator for the Eagles, hired Payton to be the quarterbacks coach in 1997. In 2003, Parcells hired Payton, who was serving as the offensive coordinator for the Giants, to be his assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach.

Parcells and Gruden both have one thing in common: they both stepped away from the game, worked as a TV analyst, and then returned to coaching.

Gruden worked his way up through the ranks and got his first head coaching job in 1998 with the Raiders. In 2002, he left to coach the Buccaneers, where he stayed until 2009.

Not long thereafter, Gruden joined ESPN as a color commentator on Monday Night Football. He also served as an NFL Draft analyst and got his own series.

And then, prior to the 2018 season, Gruden was re-hired by Las Vegas and returned to coaching. That obviously didn’t end well.

Parcells did something very similar. In fact, he stepped away from coaching on three different occasions.

In 1983, Parcells broke on to the scene as head coach of the Giants. He stayed there until 1990 before retiring and becoming an analyst for NBC Sports.

In 1993, Parcells returned to the NFL as the head coach of the Patriots. That lasted three seasons before he left for the Jets, where he coached until 1999.

And then, after four years away from the sideline, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones lured Parcells out of retirement for a second time. He coached in Dallas for three seasons before stepping down and becoming a studio analyst for ESPN.

Could Payton do something similar?

As of right now, Sean Payton is unemployed. He is not coaching in the NFL, he is not coaching on the high school level like he did during his one-year suspension, and he is not working as a TV analyst.

That surely won’t last long. Payton is expected to get a role as some sort of television personality in the next year, if not sooner.

From this point on, there will always be teams that reach out to Payton whenever a job becomes open. He has not ruled out a return to coaching in the future and, based on the paths of his two biggest mentors, it seems like that is what will play out.