The Panthers fired Matt Rhule on Monday to create the first head coach opening of the year, and the rumors are already starting. The biggest potential name on the head coach market might be former Saints coach Sean Payton, and Panthers owner David Tepper could try to make a splash and hire the former Super Bowl champion.
However, it will not be easy to simply hire Payton. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Saints still own the rights to Payton since he technically retired and wasn’t fired, so any team that wants to try and hire him has to go through New Orleans first.
Payton officially stepped down as the New Orleans head coach in January after 15 years with the team. Since the team didn’t terminate his contract, Payton can’t take another head coaching position without the Saints getting involved until 2024.
This year, Payton is working for Fox as an NFL analyst, but he hasn’t ruled out returning to the NFL in the future. Last month, he said that he likes his new role with Fox enough to wait until the time is right to return.
“I really enjoy what I’m doing right now,” Payton said. “More than maybe than I thought. If the right situation presented itself, I would definitely be interested. There’s no utopia, if you will, when it comes to teams. If I felt like if it was the right situation, I would have an interest in that.”
Any team will have a difficult time hiring Payton, but certainly any team who is the Saints’ division rival. So, even if Tepper is willing to pay for a big name at head coach, he will probably have to look elsewhere.
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