NFL Trade Machine: Sean Payton To The Chargers
By Erik Lambert
Dec 21, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton on the sidelines in the fourth quarter of the game against the Detroit Lions at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Lions won, 35-27. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
Much of the off-season talk once the regular season ends is bound to swirl around the New Orleans Saints. It appears now more than ever that the team has run its course of playoff success for the time being and is about ready for some changes at the top. Drew Brees will be 37 next year and hold a staggering $30 million salary cap hit. Then there is head coach Sean Payton who has been surrounded by rumors of a possible exit to get a fresh start elsewhere.
It’s unlikely the Saints will outright release him from his contract so if there is a move made, it would likely be via an NFL trade. Such things are rare for coaches. The last time it happened was 2002 when the Oakland Raiders shipped Jon Gruden to Tampa Bay for money and draft picks. Payton is very much in the same league. Word around the league is a number of teams would have interest.
1 potential landing spot for #Saints coach Sean Payton, if there is, in fact, an opening: The #Chargers. Payton has discussed this privately
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 27, 2015
Mike McCoy is skating on thin ice with the San Diego Chargers. After making the playoffs in his first year, the team has slowly declined into irrelevance this season. They still can’t run the football with any effectiveness. It just has the appearance of a team that has gone soft in some areas, and their inability to finish in close games is indicative of a lacking mental toughness.
That falls on the head coach.
Besides, with the team on the path to moving from San Diego to Los Angeles a little extra buzz to interest the fans wouldn’t hurt. How about trading for a Super Bowl-winning head coach who is still in his prime? That would certainly generate some interest. You know, aside from the fact an NFL team is moving back to the second-largest media market in the country.
It’s rare that one man could shift the balance of power in pro football simply by changing teams, but Sean Payton would do that if he took over the Bolts. What it comes down to is how much the team is willing to give up to get him.
Newsflash: it will have to be a lot. It cost the Buccaneers two 1st and two 2nd round draft choices to get Gruden 13 years ago. He didn’t have a Super Bowl ring at the time.