Oh boy. If you thought the ongoing Sean Payton trade drama wasn’t exciting enough on its own, well, it hasn’t even begun to peak. ESPN’s Dianna Russini reports that a new team is “waiting in the wings” as Payton interviews with various outfits around the league, and they could get involved if, as a source tells her, they can get “their ducks in a row.” Buckle up for more speculation, New Orleans Saints fans.
Now that could mean anything. And this mystery team could be anyone. The hot pick is the Dallas Cowboys, who lost another pivotal playoff game under Mike McCarthy’s mismanagement, but the more logical choice may be the Indianapolis Colts. We can probably rule out the Los Angeles Chargers, Payton’s reported top choice, after they circled the wagons around head coach Brandon Staley and dismissed several of Payton’s former assistants from his staff.
Indy is already in the process of seeking out a new head coach and they have been conspicuously absent from the Payton sweepstakes. Of the five teams with head coach vacancies, only the Colts have not yet reached out to the Saints seeking permission for an interview with Payton.
Will anything come of this? Maybe, maybe not. It certainly adds a little more intrigue to the process. But until we have a team named with a head coach opening involved, all we can do is speculate.
