If the Los Angeles Chargers make a move at head coach, Sean Payton would be the ideal candidate to replace Brandon Staley in 2023.
FOX’s new NFL studio analyst Sean Payton was spotted taking in an unmitigated disaster of a Monday Night Football game at SoFi Stadium between the Denver Broncos and the Los Angeles Chargers.
The recently retired head coach of the New Orleans Saints may be spending a ton of time in Los Angeles since joining the FOX family, but he would definitely be an upgrade over the current leader of the Bolts, Brandon Staley. Although the Chargers won on Monday night in primetime 19-16, keep in mind who Staley was going up against on the other sideline: Nathaniel “Cannot” Hackett.
Here is video evidence that Payton was watching this AFC West game from a sweet SoFi suite.
Sean Payton Los Angeles Chargers rumors: Could he replace Brandon Staley?
Even if the Chargers are 4-2 through six weeks, who have they beaten? None of the teams they have clipped thus far have winning records:
- Las Vegas Raiders (1-4)
- Houston Texans (1-3-1)
- Cleveland Browns (2-4)
- Denver Broncos (2-4)
Staley has almost successfully navigated AFC cannon fodder. Congratulations! Too bad about the Chiefs defeat and that awful Jaguars blowout…
Although the Chargers and the Chiefs have identical records sitting atop the AFC West division standings through six weeks, Kansas City has the head-to-head tiebreaker.
More importantly, there may not be a bigger head-coaching advantage in-division than what Andy Reid has in the AFC West across the entire league. We all can pencil in Kansas City as a top-four seed.
Even though the Chargers are still winning games under Staley, he is closer to fraud than he is to not. We could have told you that when he was hired, but never get between The Spanoses and trying to save money within their football operation. Death, taxes and the Chargers going cheap. These are inevitabilities. What isn’t, though, is where Payton will be coaching next season, if at all.
See, the biggest complexity in all this is the soon-to-be 59-year-old former head coach is still somewhat under contract in New Orleans. The Saints will maintain his coaching rights through the 2023 NFL season, meaning he would be a free agent to negotiate with whatever team with a vacancy he chooses come Black Monday of next year. Of course, the Saints could trade his rights.
It may be antiquated and out-of-date, but the precedent has been set here some 20 years ago when Jon Gruden was traded from the then-Oakland Raiders to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He may have used Tony Dungy’s players, but he won a Super Bowl his first year in Gulf Coast Florida. Of course, the Glazers had to cross his name off the Ring of Honor like a bad tattoo, but he did win!
The precedent set by the infamous Gruden trade is the Saints would be able to command a first-round pick for their former head coach’s rights. Although teams like his former employer in the Dallas Cowboys and the now-vacant Carolina Panthers have been tied to him, it just might be the Bolts. The reason for this is trading within the division is an impossibility and too punitive in-conference.
This is why all things equal, it would serve the Saints to trade Payton’s rights to an AFC team if he really wants to get back into coaching next season. New Orleans simply cannot let its former head coach beat the snot out of them in Charlotte or prevent the Saints from getting to the Super Bowl in the NFC. Of the potential openings that could be available in the AFC, Los Angeles is intriguing…
The Chargers have arguably the best general manager in football in Tom Telesco. They have an undeniable, yet under-coached franchise quarterback in Justin Herbert. Although they play in the same division as the Broncos, Chiefs and Raiders, Payton would get to call Los Angeles home and coach up a low-key football brand with absolutely fire uniforms. He can challenge Reid right away.
Ultimately, this really comes down to if Payton truly has the itch to coach next season. If he does not, then he can wait it out and take a job as a true free agent in 2024. The crazy part in all this is he might end up leading the Chargers anyway, as The Spanoses may give Staley a third year just to be sure he isn’t the guy (he is not). They can save money, and a first-round pick, by waiting as well.
If the Chargers did hire Payton, they are going to win a Super Bowl before the end of the decade.