Surprise! Sean Payton steps down as Saints head coach

Sean Payton did it.  He actually did it.

Payton informed the organization on Tuesday that he is stepping down as head coach of the New Orleans Saints.  The 58-year-old rides into the sunset as, unquestionably, the greatest coach in franchise history.  He’s a Super Bowl champion, former AP Coach of the Year, and an individual who has made an immeasurably positive impact on the city of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region. 

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, in New Orleans’ darkest hour, Payton was instrumental in lifting us up. The 2006 season – his first as head coach – is arguably the most special year in the team’s history, perhaps second only to the 2009 Super Bowl team. With Drew Brees at his side, Payton raised the standard for success in the Crescent City. He helped us believe that we could be winners.

Sean Payton is a hero; a living legend.  Likely a future Hall of Famer.

Erect a Sean Payton statue in Lee Circle.  Put another one in front of the Superdome.  I’ll be there for the unveiling, drunkenly crying tears of joy.  I’m getting a little teary-eyed now as I write this, not long after the conclusion of Payton’s epic 92-minute farewell press conference.

Having said all that…this is a tough pill to swallow.

I passionately advocate for mental health awareness and self-care – which includes making tough and emotionally honest decisions like walking away from something great –  but this really hurts.  Sean Payton is a human being who is 100% entitled to do what he needs to in order to take of himself and his family.  But while we must respect his choices, we are not obligated to like them.

When Drew Brees retired after the 2020 season, it was obvious he didn’t have much left to give. His body was failing him. During his farewell presser, Payton didn’t give any specific reason why he was walking away, just that it was time, and that he had a feeling this could be it as the team prepared for training camp last summer. 

In the end, Payton is walking away after one of his greatest coaching achievements, mere weeks from guiding an injury-plagued 9-8 team to the brink of the postseason, seemingly at the top of his game. Ostensibly, this team is one decent quarterback (not even a good or great QB) away from being a legitimate contender again.  The defense is excellent and the offense should improve with the return of Michael Thomas.

But without Payton, all of that is up in the air. This team is close and that’s one of the reasons why his departure stings.

Perhaps that’s a harsh way to put it, but two things can be true at the same time.  It’s true that Payton is a beloved coaching savant who should be celebrated for what he has done for the Saints and for the city of New Orleans.  He is a human being and deserves to be treated as such.  But it can also be true that when he retires – seemingly out of nowhere, at least in the eyes of the public – it feels like my loving wife of 16 years just walked in the door and asked for a divorce.

It hurts.  I am sad.  I am angry. 

Of course there’s a part of me that will be eternally grateful for what Payton did for me, my family, my friends and my fellow members of the Who Dat Nation.  The anger over this loss comes from a place of love.

Hell, he’s even partially responsible for my career in film and television, as I was lucky enough to work on Home Team, the Netflix movie about his Bountygate sabbatical.

Sean, the people of New Orleans are forever indebted to you and you deserve to spend your time away from football doing whatever it is that makes you happy.  But I’m also very mad at you right now.

Where do the Saints go from here?  The questions that surrounded this team before Payton’s departure now become much more urgent.

With Payton no longer in the building, it seems more important than ever that the team swings for the fences in its pursuit of the next franchise QB.  I feel less confident in Jameis Winston, or any other unproven commodity, as the answer without Payton around. 

The team should also swing for the fences with its next head coaching hire.  Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen is already in the building, and he did a phenomenal job in the team’s 9-0 domination of Tom Brady and the Bucs when Payton was out with COVID.  But can he sustain that success for an entire season?  His last head coaching tenure with the Raiders did not go well.

Will offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael stick around?  Will free agents still view New Orleans as a favorable destination?  As a contender?  Who will take on the responsibility of maintaining the culture in the locker room?

There are some important pieces of the infrastructure still in place, like Gayle Benson; Mickey Loomis; Jeff Ireland; Carmichael and Allen; plus all of the returning players.  But having the show go on without Payton feels like Warner Bros trying to make a sequel to The Dark Knight Rises with everyone except director Christopher Nolan.  You know, the most important piece of the puzzle.  The visionary.

Or, as Buddy D would say, the straw that stirs the drink.

The 2021 offseason was supposed to be wild, as the team searched for Drew Brees’ replacement.  Somehow, 2022 aims to top that.

All we can do is what Sean Payton might be doing as he sips on a Mai Tai on a beach somewhere.  It’s a great trick to improve your mental health and alleviate stress – just surrender to the madness.