Tampa Bay regarded as 'logical' destination for Sean Payton in 2023

Bruce Arians passed off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to Todd Bowles over the offseason with the hope that the franchise would be Super Bowl contenders for the foreseeable future. Instead, the ship has been rocky throughout the 2022 season but the team was able to secure an NFC South title and a playoff berth with a win over Carolina last weekend.

Regardless, it's hard to argue that things are going in the right direction following a massive regression on offense. The Buccaneers have been hit by injuries and unexpected retirements, but that's no excuse to go from scoring 30.1 points per game last year to 18.5 points per game this season with the same offensive coordinator and a majority of the same players. Plus, the team has looked dead in the water at multiple points of the year.

It's unknown if the Glazer family will want to make a change after just one year with Bowles. If so, there's one name that stands out above the rest of the available parties, Sean Payton.

According to Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports, the Buccaneers are a 'logical landing spot' for Payton, who spent the season working in television.

"This scenario is predicated almost entirely on Tom Brady re-signing with Tampa Bay during or ahead of free agency. TB12 feels far more likely to retire or suit up elsewhere, but if the plodding, predictable direction of Todd Bowles and Byron Leftwich is discarded, and Brady has the chance to team up with Payton, as the two reportedly conspired to do early in the 2022 offseason, then Bucs ownership would surely do everything possible to seal the deal. Tampa won a trophy by going all in for Brady back in 2020, and pairing the QB with a coach of Payton's caliber would represent a similar gamble in 2023."

Payton was also linked to Tampa Bay during the offseason and has an interesting connection to quarterback Tom Brady. Over the summer, an NFL investigation revealed that the Miami Dolphins had impermissible contact with Brady and Payton from August 2019 to January 2022 to try and draw the pair to south Florida.

Instead, there's a perfect opportunity waiting in the wings for Payton to land in the same division that he used to dominate with New Orleans. With Brady's contract expiring and the star having the opportunity to go wherever he wants, he'll have plenty of pull for Tampa Bay to answer his demands.

It is important to note that Payton is still under contract with the Saints through the 2023 season. That means the Buccaneers would likely have to part ways with their first-round pick to acquire him.

At this point, it might be worth it to extend the championship window under an innovative offensive mind.

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