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Sean Payton isn’t stepping too far away from the NFL. Andrew Marchand of the New York Post reports Fox and Payton are close to a deal that would make Payton a studio analyst next year.
According to Marchand, Payton will most likely contribute to the “Fox NFL Kickoff” and “Fox NFL Sunday” shows next season. Marchand also reports Payton is not a candidate to replace Troy Aikman, who left for ESPN as an in-game analyst.
Payton retired from his role as the Saints coach in January after 15 seasons with the team. However, Marchand reports that there is speculation that Payton could decide to re-enter the NFL as a head coach in the coming years.
For now, Payton will join a Fox NFL team that will look different next year. With Joe Buck gone, Kevin Burkhardt will take over as the main play-by-play announcer, while Drew Brees and Greg Olsen are candidates to replace Aikman.
During his retirement press conference, Payton said he was interested in jumping to television next season.
“I’d like to try TV,” Payton said in January. “I’ve had some opportunities. That would be something that would interest me. Hopefully that opportunity comes.”
