Sean Payton stepped to the podium for the last time as New Orleans Saints head coach on Tuesday, announcing that he is stepping down during an afternoon press conference from the team facility. He didn’t have many details to share, but he did outline what’s ahead for him.
“I still have a vision of doing something in football,” Payton said, noting that he’s never liked the word ‘retirement.’ He continued, “I’ll be honest with you, that might be coaching in the future. But that’s not where my heart is at right now.”
Payton also said that while nothing is on the table right now, he’s intrigued by the idea of broadcasting and feels he would be successful at it. But as he told the coaching staff earlier, he currently has no plan on what comes next.
Maybe he takes the Bruce Arians path and spends a year away from coaching to work in the media, picking the right opportunity to return for. Maybe he takes two or three years away like his mentor Bill Parcells did. At this early juncture, it’s just too soon to say.
“I don’t know what’s next, and it kind of feels good,” Payton concluded, 34 minutes into his opening statement. “The last thing I did before I went to bed was Google how to not cry during a speech.”
