Sean Payton spoke for 92 minutes in his retirement press conference, and made a few things abundantly clear.
He had no intention of coaching anywhere in 2022, but he could return to coaching someday. And despite the swirling rumors, he hadn't been contacted by any media outlet about a move into broadcasting, though he did have interest.
That first part stayed the same, despite two teams "backchanneling" with potential interest. The second part did change, though, as Payton revealed in an interview Thursday on the Dan Patrick Show.
"That’s happened maybe with a couple clubs, but I’m not looking at that path right now. ... I don't think I’m finished coaching, but I was excited to get two or three calls and texts from people in the television industry," Payton said.
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A notably affable Payton indicated those teams were NOT the Cowboys or Bears, but declined to elaborate further. He noted that he was simply being honest in his press conference, because he didn't want to say he'd never coach again, only to go back on his word down the road.
"That happens so often with coaches," Payton said.
He also went back and forth with Patrick for several minutes, riffing on the intricacies and difficulties of being a broadcaster. While there are still no concrete plans, the former Saints coach was more interested in hearing from the experts to let him know what they think he'd be best suited for, be that a studio role or a live, gameday role.
The pair did a few test runs, breaking down exactly what happened at the end of the thrilling Bills-Chiefs game from the weekend, and the Cowboys' ill-fated QB draw that ran out the clock in their playoff loss a week earlier. Patrick advised practicing 15-second answers, and that includes the next time Drew Brees calls him up, another Saints legend who retired with an eye on broadcasting.
"I think sometimes I would guess one of the bigger mistakes would be, we’re not getting paid by the word," Payton said. "Sometimes it’s right there for us to watch and you see that. ... I think one of the better compliments would be, ‘I can’t recall who called the game.’ My dad used to say, ‘the sign of someone that was well dressed, you couldn’t remember what he wore.’ But we can certainly remember when we don’t like what we hear.”
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