Though he was under contract, one of the hottest names on the coaching market in recent days has been the New Orleans Saints' Sean Payton. He has been with the Saints for 10 years, but reportedly had the option to walk away from his contract this season, and rumors were rampant that the San Francisco 49ers, New York Giants or perhaps another team would be interested in luring him away.
But Payton isn't going anywhere.
His Wednesday afternoon news conference was pushed back an hour, leading to speculation that perhaps something was brewing, that perhaps a team was stepping up with an offer to trade for Payton, but in the end, he's staying with the Saints.
"I understand the interest and certainly the skepticism if you will, but this is where I plan on coaching, and I don't envision myslf ever coaching for any other club," Payton finally said several minutes into his news conference.
He went on to mention team owner Tom Benson, and the city of New Orleans and the team's fans as reasons why he will stay.
"I think [guard] Zach Stieif said it best: 'I'll be here as long as they'll have me'," Payton said.
He opened by talking about how he'd spent the last couple of days, with he and general manager Mickey Loomis meeting with players on Monday. They then spent time with one another on Tuesday and Wednesday, with Payton noting that the professional relationship he and Loomis have is as strong as their personal relationship."The main thing all the time ... is to really try to look closely at these are the things that we need to improve at," Payton said. "Obviously, when you finish 7-9 and your second year in a row you're disappointed [and not in the playoffs]; we've grown accustomed to, and certainly have an expectation of getting into the postseason and competing.
"The hardest time for us is I'd love this press conference to be about an upcoming opponent and whether we can win in cold weather. Those are a lot more fun. That being said, as disappointing as it is to be in this poisition, there were still some things that were very encouraging."
Payton also promised the Saints will return to the playoffs.
Since arriving in New Orleans for the 2006 season, Payton has led the Saints to five playoff appearances, including the franchise's only Super Bowl win. He is 87-57 over his decade with the franchise.
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