Yes, Sean Payton is poaching Zach Strief for his new coaching staff. And when he explains why, it's a hard point to argue.
Speaking to reporters this week ahead of Super Bowl 57, Payton explained how he first came upon Strief's name in the first place during the 2006 draft. He had called the late and former Northwestern coach Randy Walker to ask about one of his quarterbacks, but the conversation quickly turned to his right tackle.
You guessed it, that was Strief.
“I had no clue who he was talking about. ... He goes, 'this kid will play at your level. He’s a captain here two years.' And I just remember thinking, if Randy’s recommending him, man, that’s significant,” Payton said, via WWLTV's Brooke Kirchhofer.
He proceeded to go back into the draft room and move Strief's name from the undrafted part of the board to a drafted position, and ultimately selected the future Saints starting right tackle in the 7th round at No. 210 overall.
Strief went on to play 12 seasons before retiring in 2017, after which he joined us at WWL as the Saints' play-by-play announcer alongside color analyst Deuce McAllister. He did that for three years before Payton signed Strief on as the Saints' assistant OL coach prior to the 2021 season. He did that for one season under Payton and OL coach Brendan Nugent, then for another year under Dennis Allen and OL coach Doug Marrone.
But then Payton was traded to the Denver Broncos, and Strief's former boss came calling again to offer the OL coach job on his new staff. And that's where he'll be starting next season, Payton confirmed.
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“The point I’m making is, man, he’s special. ... I love him because I know him well as a player, as a coach. But we also had kind of the same upbringing from the late Randy Walker," he continued. "So, it’s not announced yet, but he is going to be coming with us. And I feel like it’s only right, because I found him.”
Strief isn't the lone reported attempted poaching this offseason, but to this point he's the only guaranteed departure. Payton also reportedly offered a position to Saints assistant Kevin Petry, but he's opted to stay in New Orleans. He's also set up interviews with Saints QBs coach Ronald Curry for the OC role on the Broncos staff, and assistant Declan Doyle for the TE coach role.
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