Terron Armstead Recalls Saints Being Ready to Turn to Dan Campbell

The New Orleans Saints were fortunate to have Sean Payton as the team's head coach as long as they did. But, what if he left a bit sooner?

Payton came to town in 2006 and was with the franchise through the 2021 season. Now, he's the head coach of the Denver Broncos and has been since 2023. But there were some rumors over the years about the possibility of an exit. Former Saints star Terron Armstead joined the "St. Brown Podcast" and revealed that there was even a time when members of the franchise were okay with the idea of Payton moving on because they wanted Dan Campbell to be the team's head coach.

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"He's intense," Armstead said of Campbell. "He loves it. He loves the grind. He loves workers. He loves O-Linemen. You know what I mean? He loves to run the ball. He wants to be physical. He was incredible, bro. We loved Dan. It was at a point, I'm going to share a little secret. There was a point we were damn near like petitioning to get Sean Payton up and out of there.

The Saints legend opened up

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell reacts to a play against Pittsburgh Steelers during the second half at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"Not like really like going on strike or nothing. But we kept hearing rumors of Sean entertaining the Cowboys job. We was like, if Sean goes to Dallas, Dan Campbell going to be our head coach. So, Sean, you feel me, do what's best for you and your family. We've got Dan Campbell. It was almost like if Dan can be our head coach, we rocking with it."

"We were like.... if Sean Payton goes to Dallas, Dan Campbell gonna be our head coach."

Five-time Pro Bowl OT Terron Armstead reveals that, if Sean Payton had taken the Cowboys job back in 2019, the players would've pushed hard for Dan Campbell to be the new Saints head coach pic.twitter.com/feu46efW2R
— St. Brown Podcast (@StBrownPodcast) February 19, 2026

Campbell was with the franchise as an assistant head coach and tight ends coach from 2016 through the 2020 season before taking over as the head coach of the Detroit Lions ahead of the 2021 season. It's somewhat surprising to hear Armstead's comments, but Campbell moves the needle. He's helped transform the Lions from an afterthought to a contender.

Fortunately for the Saints, they have Kellen Moore as the head coach now and he showed a lot of promise in 2025. There were some struggles before that after Payton's exit, though.

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