The New Orleans Saints' 2024 schedule has been slowly filtering out throughout the morning, but one of the most highly anticipated games now has a date.
Sean Payton's return to the Caesars Superdome will occur on Oct. 17, according to reports. The Saints will also host the Denver Broncos in front of a national audience on Thursday Night football. The news was first reported by NewOrleans.football.
It will the team's first chance to face his former head coach since he abruptly retired following the 2021 season. He spent a year away from coaching and in the analyst chair, but returned in the 2023 season after the Saints traded him to the Broncos for a 2023 1st and a 2024 2nd rounder (the Saints also sent their 2024 3rd rounder). The Saints used those selections to bring in DT Bryan Bresee and more recently CB Kool-Aid McKinstry, whom they traded up to pick at No. 41. The Saints have finished with records of 7-10 and 9-8 in the two seasons since Dennis Allen took over as head coach, and this offseason moved on from the final vestiges of Payton's offensive system by replacing longtime OC Pete Carmichael with Klint Kubiak.
Payton, meanwhile, oversaw a topsy-turvy first season with Denver that finished at 8-9. That campaign included some awkward run-ins with then QB Russell Wilson, with the team ultimately opted to bench Wilson late in the year and moved on from at the position despite a record-setting $85 million dead cap hit. Wilson has since signed with the Steelers.
Related
One big question for the game will be who is starting at quarterback for the Broncos, with the current options being No. 12 overall pick Bo Nix or third-year pro Jarrett Stidham, who took over for Wilson late in the 2023 season. Stidham, a former Auburn standout, was also the QB who took over for Derek Carr when he was benched by the Raiders under similar circumstances late in the 2022 season.