Sean Payton Calls Panthers Head Coaching Job 'Attractive'
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Following the dismissal of Matt Rhule on Monday, heads immediately turned to who might be next to lead the Carolina Panthers. Following an 11-27 record under Rhule, the Panthers are desperate to find a coach who can maximize a roster many believe to have more in the tank than they've shown so far. While there will be plenty of speculation over the coming months as to who might fill the position, former Super Bowl champion head coach Sean Payton may be putting his own name in the hat.
During a segment on The Heard on Monday, host Colin Cowherd and Sean Payton discussed the opening, and Payton had plenty to say. While discussing the difficulty of winning without strong quarterback play- which Rhule has had plenty of- Cowherd asked Payton "How attractive is [the Carolina] job without a quarterback?"
Payton responded immediately "I think it's attractive."
He then momentarily side barred to talk about the differences between coaching in the NFL and coaching in college- where almost all of Rhule's experience came from prior to joining the Panthers.
"First off, the jump sometimes from a successful college head coach to an NFL head coach is larger than you think. It just is. Schematically, red zone, third down. And I say that respectfully because in college, it's a different job."
Payton then continued with why he isn't a great fit for coaching at the college level, laying to rest any speculation that he might make the move to a college opening.
"You've got a certain amount of hours per week, you've got spring ball, you're recruiting. You've got a lot of things that are happening. I particularly don't like getting dressed up. As a head coach, you're going to be in dress shoes and slacks. I like putting a pair of Jordans on and sweats and going to watch film. I don't want to deal with a booster, and I don't really want to talk to the parent of a player. I want to coach, yet that's the college game."
Payton then jumps back to the initial question of whether or not the Panthers' job is attractive, even with the uncertainty at quarterback.
"Back to your question. Look- [the job with a great quarterback] is almost a unicorn, waiting for you to come in and be the foster parent. Generally speaking, it's somewhat broken."
Payton continues to break down the options for bringing in talent at the quarterback position.
"Immediately for whoever's next to Carolina is looking. Is [the quarterback] in the draft? Do we have a 'hold the fort' guy in free agency until we find it in the draft? Or is there a guy we like in free agency that we feel like can be a good player?"
Cowherd then mentions how he is a fan of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo- to which Payton concurs- and suggests the Panthers should make a run at him in free agency this coming offseason. Payton responds:
"That's the discussion we'd have. We go in, we put up on the board: 'guys in the building' [which is] whoever we have at the position. Then we put 'in the league' [which is] guys who would potentially be coming up in free agency or potentially guys who might be [available]"
Payton then referenced the Saints trading for Drew Brees and how Josh McCown, who was on his way to New Orleans to sign as those discussions were happening, was turned around mid-trip as the team made the move for Brees.
"The search for who we're looking for begins immediately, and then where we're looking to find it is everywhere."
So what does all of this mean? Nothing concrete whatsoever. Beyond calling the Carolina head coaching job "attractive" though, Payton seemed to be posturing to potential suitors with his mention of previous experience with filling holes at quarterback.
Payton brings a career 152-89 (.631%) record to the table- including no seasons with a record less than a single game below .500- familiarity with the NFC South and a depth of experience teams probably won't find anywhere else on the open market.
This will surely make him a name to watch in Carolina over the coming months. As the team is the first and currently only team with a head coaching vacancy, The Panthers will have plenty of time to do their homework. Payton appears to have kicked off the flirting, and time will tell if David Tepper's team plans to flirt back.
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