If the Saints' offseason was operating like a silent auction, there would be a lot of paddles in the air right now.
With the seasons now officially over for the Saints and other non-playoff teams, the sweepstakes to potentially trade for Sean Payton is underway, and any team that has fired its head coach this past season looks to be in the running. The Broncos were the first team to request permission to interview the former Saints head coach, though they're barred from doing so until mid-January. Denver fired first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett following a Christmas Day debacle of a loss to the L.A. Rams.
That number grew to three midway through this week, with the Houston Texans and Arizona Cardinals requesting permission, according to reports from NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Fox Sports' Peter Schrager. The Texans own the No. 2 and 12 overall picks in the upcoming draft and fired head coach Lovie Smith after one season and a 3-13-1 record. The Cardinals own the No. 3 overall pick and a young, star quarterback in Kyler Murray, and fired head coach Kliff Kingsbury after a disappointing 4-13 season. Cardinals GM Steve Keim has also stepped down.
But two other teams have kicked the tires, according to a report from NewOrleans.football, and haven't passed through to the interview phase. The other two teams to have fired their head coaches have decisions to make regarding their interim selections. That includes the Carolina Panthers, who fired Matt Rhule midseason. He was replaced by Steve Wilks who led a resurgent Panthers team to a 7-10 finish that could've landed in the playoffs if not for a 4th quarter collapse to the Bucs in Week 17. The other is the Indianapolis Colts, who fired head coach Frank Reich midseason and opted to bring in former NFL player Jeff Saturday in his place. The hire was highly criticized in coaching circles due to the interim coach never having served in an assistant capacity at either the professional or college level.
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On its face, this means nothing. Teams will interview Payton and decide whether they want to shell out assets to bring him in and lead their team for the foreseeable future. They'll have to do that because at the time Payton decided to retire he was still under contract with the Saints, who moved on by elevating former DC Dennis Allen into the head coach role. The team finished 7-10 in 2022.
But it does mean that the Saints will appear to have plenty of potential interest in a trade if and when the time comes for it. The desired compensation has not been specified, but it's likely the Saints will seek at least one first round selection, considering they are entering the 2023 NFL draft without one due to trades prior to the 2022 draft.
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There's also no particular rush in making a decision on a trade partner or compensation. There are several teams that made the playoff field that could potentially be seeking a new head coach if the results go a certain way. The Cowboys could decide to part ways with Mike McCarthy if they bow out in the first round. The same could be said for the L.A. Chargers and Brandon Staley, as well as the Dolphins and Mike McDaniel. The Dolphins are particularly interesting, considering they have already forfeited their 2023 first rounder due to kicking the tires for Sean Payton when he was still coaching the Saints.
The playoff race kicks off this weekend, but the Sean Payton sweepstakes is just getting started.