Sean Payton hints he will coach again

Sean Payton may be ready to take a year away from football as a head coach, but he does not sound like a man who is done coaching.

Payton met with the media for a press conference on Tuesday after announcing he would step down as head coach of the New Orleans Saints. He gave a timeline of what may come next for him, and that seems to include a media job followed by a coaching return.

“I still have a vision for doing things in football. And I’ll be honest with you, that might be coaching again at some point. I don’t think it’s this year. I think maybe in the future, but that’s not where my heart is right now. It’s not at all,” Payton said.

Payton said he also shook his head at all the rumors about him having TV jobs lined up. He said he hasn’t spoken to any outlet yet about doing TV work, though he wants to do TV analysis and thinks he would succeed at it.

“I’ve not spoken to anyone relative to a media outlet. I think I’d like to do that. I think I’d be pretty good at it,” Payton said.

Just about everyone has already linked Payton to the Dallas Cowboys. The 58-year-old was a Cowboys offensive assistant from 2003-2005 before being hired by the Saints. Jerry Jones is probably salivating over the possibility of hiring Payton for the 2023 season.

Photo: Aug 23, 2021; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton looks on during the second half against Jacksonville Jaguars at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports