NFL world reacts to Sean Payton news

The New Orleans Saints just narrowly missed out on the playoffs this season, finishing the year with a 9-8 record while the Philadelphia Eagles held the tiebreaker to get into the postseason. Now the Saints will have some major changes in their locker room beyond that as Ian Rapoport has reported that longtime head coach Sean Payton has announced he will be stepping away from the role (though, notably, not retiring).

Only one year after the retirement of star quarterback Drew Brees, Payton is following Brees off into the sunset, at least for now.

Payton has been a staple in New Orleans, becoming the head coach in 2006 with a 15-year tenure with the team, second to only Patriots head coach Bill Belichick as the longest active tenure for a head coach in the NFL.

There were reports yesterday coming from NFL insider Jay Glazer that Peyton was considering leaving or retirement, and it appears that Peyton has come to a quick decision.

“Sean changes his mind like every two seconds, we talk about it a lot, it’s why I haven’t reported anything because he changes his mind like every two minutes. said Glazer earlier this week.

With these comments, it remains a possibility that Payton could come back at some point, but at least for now, Payton will be taking a step away from the team.

Here are some reactions to the shocking news coming from Payton.

NINE head coach vacancies in the NFL at the moment. https://t.co/pWDlDCpp8V

— Ben Fischer (@BenFischerSBJ) January 25, 2022

Payton had some great success over the years in New Orleans, leading the team to the playoffs 9 times while famously defeating the Indianapolis Colts in 2009 for the franchise’s lone Super Bowl victory. If this is the end for Payton, he can certainly look back at building a truly successful franchise and winning culture during his time in New Orleans.

[Ian Rapoport]