Sean Payton Likely to Return to Fox as Coaching Searches Continue, per Report

Sean Payton has had a busy January interviewing with multiple NFL teams for coaching positions while simultaneously working as a Fox analyst.

The former Saints coach finished interviews with the Broncos and the Texans, and has upcoming interviews set up with the Panthers and the Cardinals. However, even after a report on Tuesday revealed that Payton is expected to have a second interview with Denver, nothing has been confirmed yet. This means Payton doesn’t officially have a second interview lined up yet with any team.

On the heels of that news, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday that it’s likely Payton doesn’t end up in any of the coaching roles available for next season.

“I’m saying that as of right now, it does not seem like there is a place for Sean Payton,” Rapoport said on NFL Now. “We’ll see, but it does not seem like there is a place in the coaching world right now.”

NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reiterated Rapoport’s reporting, noting that Payton will most likely stay put in his broadcasting role this year.

“We’ve kinda been talking all along that there is a possibility, whether it be 50–50 or even greater than 50–50, that Sean Payton would go back to Fox for one more year because it’s not like he’s that desperate to get back into coaching that he’s just going to take any job,” Garafolo said. “It was going to have to be the right situation on both sides on the table, and it does not feel like that’s where we are right now. … We’re hearing consistently that it’s the opposite of that.”

Garafolo added that if Payton doesn’t take any coaching position this offseason, then the former coach likely would look at open positions next year and consider whether those situations present a better fit.