With legal drama engulfing New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson and the NFL keeping close tabs on a potential ownership change, there is a "steadily increasing possibility" that head coach Sean Payton and some front-office executives will exit the franchise in the offseason, a league source told Yahoo Sports.
One of the primary issues is whether Benson's estranged daughter, Renee Benson, and her two children – Rita Benson LeBlanc and Ryan LeBlanc – can gain a stronger grip on the Saints in the coming months, the source said. Renee Benson, the source said, wants ownership of the team as part of a contested $1 billion trust left by Tom Benson's deceased first wife Shirley. Benson has instead sought to give control of his financial kingdom – which includes the Saints and NBA's New Orleans Pelicans – to his current wife, Gayle Benson. In hopes of resolving the dispute, Tom Benson, 88, offered a package of cash and other holdings to his estranged daughter. She refused, and the impasse is now in mediation, where Renee is seeking to have the NFL owner removed entirely as both trustee and executor of the trust.
One of the primary issues is whether Benson's estranged daughter, Renee Benson, and her two children – Rita Benson LeBlanc and Ryan LeBlanc – can gain a stronger grip on the Saints in the coming months, the source said. Renee Benson, the source said, wants ownership of the team as part of a contested $1 billion trust left by Tom Benson's deceased first wife Shirley. Benson has instead sought to give control of his financial kingdom – which includes the Saints and NBA's New Orleans Pelicans – to his current wife, Gayle Benson. In hopes of resolving the dispute, Tom Benson, 88, offered a package of cash and other holdings to his estranged daughter. She refused, and the impasse is now in mediation, where Renee is seeking to have the NFL owner removed entirely as both trustee and executor of the trust.
If Renee Benson is able to remove her father from that spot, she would be in position to gain control of a large portion of the empire, including both pro sports teams, a second source familiar with the legal case told Yahoo Sports. That potential mess could impact the future moves of Payton and others.
"If [Renee Benson] gets control of the team, a lot of people [in the franchise] are worried that she could fire everyone who has been loyal to Tom," the league source said. "They're waiting to see what happens."
One of those people, the league source said, is Payton, who is loyal to Tom Benson.
"Sean has some outs in his deal," the source said. "If there is an ownership change, he has an out. He has some other outs, too. There would be a lot of interest in him – maybe four or five other teams would be interested. … I don't think he's thinking about it right now. He's not pursuing anything. I think he wants to see what happens like everyone else. But considering everything, if I put a percentage on whether he'd be the Saints coach next year, I'd say [it's] 50-50."
The NFL Network reported Sunday that the team "would be inclined to let Payton explore other opportunities" regardless of any change in ownership.
Payton is 90-57 in nine seasons, including six playoff wins, but the Saints haven't advanced beyond the divisional round of the playoffs since winning the Super Bowl following the 2009 season. The roster has recently had salary-cap issues, and most glaring is there's no certain replacement for quarterback Drew Brees, who turns 37 in January and has one whopping year ($30 million against the cap) left on his deal.
This is also Payton's 10th year in the franchise (including the one-season suspension after the NFL's bounty investigation). That's a long time in one place, and it's not uncommon for the message to become stale without wholesale turnover inside the locker room. And while Payton has a very good working relationship with general manager Mickey Loomis, Loomis is being pulled in two directions right now with duties for both the Saints and Pelicans.
A handful of teams will be looking for a commanding coach, and many of them have quarterbacks that Payton could work with. The Detroit Lions are likely to fire Jim Caldwell at season's end, and are still trying to figure out Matthew Stafford. The bloom is fading for Miami Dolphins interim coach Dan Campbell, and Ryan Tannehill still hasn't taken a huge leap forward. The Indianapolis Colts are wildly inconsistent with Andrew Luck and could see sweeping changes (although it's debatable whether Payton could work for Colts owner Jim Irsay). And there's little question whether the Tennessee Titans would jettison interim coach Mike Mularkey in favor of pairing Payton with Marcus Mariota.
The San Diego Chargers could be in the mix, too. And if the Dallas Cowboys tank the rest of the season (like, say, the 4-12 range), don't be surprised to see them pop up in a Payton discussion despite the five-year, $30 million extension Jason Garrett signed last season.
If any move were made, it's likely that control would be a big part of the conversation. While Payton may not require total decision-making power, it's certain he would need to have a close working relationship with any general manager, similar to what he has with Loomis now. If Loomis were to remain in New Orleans, it's worth wondering whether assistant general manager Jeff Ireland might be the one tabbed in a package deal with Payton.
All of that is speculation until the end of the season. But some kind of resolution is expected sooner rather than later. If mediation fails, there would be a jury trial to sort out the finances, possibly as early as February. If Payton explores other coaching opportunities, it's likely he will do it long before that.
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