Sean Payton reveals why he wanted to time Saints exit differently

Sean Payton waited a bit after the end of the regular season to announce his departure from the New Orleans Saints. If he had his way, things might have happened a little earlier.

Payton admitted to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that he already knew of his intention to step aside as coach prior to the NFL’s Wild Card round. Though he was well aware that speculation would surface about his coaching future upon announcing his decision, Payton abided with owner Gayle Benson’s request to take a week before going public. That, however, meant that Payton’s announcement came after the Dallas Cowboys’ playoff loss and not before it.

“I had this whole conversation with Saints’ ownership the week prior to the wildcard round and Mrs. Benson said, ‘Take a week, go on vacation to Mexico, and before you come back put that answer,’ because I knew then I wanted to step away,” Payton said. “Sure enough, that first round game, Dallas loses. I’m like, ‘Ah, It would’ve been so much easier if I had the Tuesday before that.'”

Payton has been heavily linked to the Cowboys as a potential replacement for Mike McCarthy. The timing of Payton’s exit helped contribute to that, and the former Saints coach clearly thinks announcing his resignation before Dallas’ loss would have at least made the two events tougher to link together.

Admittedly, the speculation would have happened anyway, especially since Jerry Jones is clearly a big fan. Payton seems to feel bad about it and wishes it could have been avoided, but that would have always been unlikely.

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