Sean Payton 'Appears To Be The Front-Runner' For 1 Head Coaching Job
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 11: Former NFL coach Sean Payton speaks during an interview on day 3 of SiriusXM At Super Bowl LVI on February 11, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for SiriusXM )
Thus far, three teams have scheduled interviews with former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton for their head coaching vacancies.
One of them is the Denver Broncos, who will reportedly interview Payton on Tuesday. NFL writer Mark Maske of the Washington Post thinks the one-time Super Bowl champion is the early leader in the Denver clubhouse
"The Broncos appear to be the front-runner for Sean Payton, at least in the early stages of the process," Maske wrote on Twitter Thursday night. "Payton likes the franchise's stable ownership and would be happy to work with Russell Wilson, source says.
"It will be interesting if the Cowboys end up moving on from Mike McCarthy and enter the bidding for Sean Payton. They clearly would be a contender. But even if that occurs, it's possible that Payton would opt for the Broncos."
The other two teams who have obtained permission to speak with Payton are the Arizona Cardinals and Houston Texans.
Arizona could be intriguing if Payton wants to work with Kyler Murray when he returns from ACL surgery, but we can't see any reasons why he would want the Houston job. The Texans don't have a quarterback and have shoddy ownership; all the buzz indicates that Payton wants a strong, stable ownership at his next job.
It's important to note that the Broncos have a multitude of reported candidates, so it's incorrect to act like Payton-to-Denver is a done deal.
Maske's report does make plenty of sense though, especially if Jim Harbaugh, who the Broncos interviewed, winds up going back to Michigan.
