Last night @JayGlazer on @FoxSportsRadio detailed the Panthers calling him about Sean Payton and what he told them about his future pic.twitter.com/T9nem8dDIg
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We’ll file this one under “big but not surprising.” There isn’t anyone in the national media closer to Sean Payton than his longtime friend Jay Glazer — when Payton stepped down as New Orleans Saints head coach, he took a job with FOX Sports to join Glazer on their weekly NFL pregame show. Glazer has broken all sorts of stories over the years thanks to that tight connection with Payton, ranging from the infamous 2013 Jimmy Graham trade to Payton’s extension in 2019 that now impacts the future of multiple NFL teams.
With Payton expected to weigh offers from interested parties in 2023, it makes sense that teams are reaching out to gauge his interest through a backdoor in conversations with Glazer. He relayed a conversation he shared with Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer and other team brass concerning Payton’s interest in their open head coaching job during a Thursday night appearance on FOX Sports Radio.
“Sean Payton would be a good start but it ain’t happening,” Glazer recounted. “He ain’t going there. So Carolina Panther fan, Sean Payton is not going to be your next head coach.”
The Panthers are always going to be seen as a longshot in this situation, given their status as a division rival with New Orleans and the extra draft capital it would take to sway the Saints into cutting a deal with him. But Payton’s disinterest in the job makes sense, too. Carolina’s ownership is probably a little more hands-on in daily affairs than Payton would be comfortable with, and their roster is hardly ready to compete right away. Even if they get the first overall pick in the 2023 draft, there’s no guaranteeing Payton would like any of the rookie quarterback prospects coming down the pipeline enough to tie his career to them.
Glazer shared some other interesting nuggets about the ongoing fire sale in Carolina, noting that a new head coach isn’t going to want to be “married to somebody else’s talent” as former Matt Rhule draft picks. The Panthers have already traded wide receiver Robbie Anderson and running back Christian McCaffrey for a nice haul of future draft assets, which they’ll be able to use to restock their roster under new management.
Just because Payton doesn’t want to go to Carolina doesn’t mean they don’t have a role to play in all this. The Panthers can offer more for Payton’s services than anyone else in the running, and the Saints should be able to play them against other, more serious suitors to win a better return. Hopefully it works out.
