Sean Payton will likely have his pick of several jobs after he is permitted to interview with teams next week, and there have been reports that the Denver Broncos are the early favorites to land the head coach. According to one NFL insider, that is far from a done deal.
Ian Rapoport said during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” Friday that Payton is a “strong candidate” for the Broncos, Arizona Cardinals and Houston Texans. The reporter admitted that he did not think Payton was a realistic option for the Cardinals when the season ended, but he has since changed his mind.
“Going into this I would have said I don’t know if Sean Payton will go to the Cardinals. Now, I think it’s pretty legit,” Rapoport said. “Both them and the Texans have pretty good opportunities, because Kyler (Murray) is different, but Sean Payton is different too and maybe that works. He is a great coach and will no doubt give some accountability to Kyler Murray and make sure of it. They’re not gonna need a clause in the contract, etc. Sean will make sure of it.”
You can hear more of Rapoport’s analysis below, but beware that the clip contains a curse word:
"I think Sean Payton to the Arizona Cardinals is pretty legit" ~ @RapSheet#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/6cOHsiO4MH
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 13, 2023
Payton has said having a good relationship with ownership and the front office will be a priority for him when choosing his next team. He had that with the New Orleans Saints and understands how important it is for building a winning culture.
In addition to firing head coach Kliff Kingsbury this week, the Cardinals also announced that general manager Steve Keim will not be back next season. The GM vacancy may appeal to Payton. Arizona would almost certainly let Payton hand pick a GM if that were important to him.
A report last month claimed Payton had his eye on two NFL jobs, and one was the Cardinals. The other is not vacant and may not be anytime soon.
