If Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill has had enough of the Kliff Kingsbury show, there is one experienced head coach candidate who would be a perfect pair with quarterback Kyler Murray — a coach with decades of NFL experience. an offensive savant with a proven track record, a championship pedigree and one who has worked with shorter quarterbacks in the past.
That is Sean Payton.
Payton is under contract until 2024 but is stepping away from being the Saints head coach and retiring.
Acquiring a head coach under contract is not unprecedented. In 2002, Jon Gruden was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for two first-round picks, two second-round picks, and $8 million. In 1999, Mike Holmgren was traded to the Seattle Seahawks for a second-round pick. And, after spending a year in the TV booth, former Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians, who retired in 2017 but was still under contract with Arizona, was allowed to sign with the Buccaneers for a swap of Day 3 draft picks. Gruden and Arians both won championships with their new teams. Holmgren led the Seahawks to their first-ever Super Bowl appearance.
Payton began his NFL career in 1987 as a quarterback with the Chicago Bears. In 1997, he embarked on his NFL coaching career as the Philadelphia Eagles quarterbacks coach. He was hired as the New Orleans Saints head coach in 2006.
During his 15-year career in New Orleans, he amassed a regular-season record of 152-89 and seven division titles. In 2009, he led the Saints to a Super Bowl championship. And, he did this with what many considered to be a diminutive quarterback compared to NFL standards.
At 6-0, Drew Brees is considered one of the best NFL quarterbacks of all time. Under Payton’s tutelage, Brees led the league in yardage seven times, completion percentage six times, and touchdowns four times. Brees is currently the all-time leader in career completion percentage (67.7%), second in passing yards (80,358), second in touchdowns (571).
The pairing of Brees and Payton is one of the best success stories in the NFL.
One would think Michael Bidwill would want the same for Kyler Murray.
Payton said definitively he won’t coach this year, but it wouldn’t hurt if Bidwill reached out, would it?
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
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