Saints owner Tom Benson is considering making Payton the highest paid coach in football. That will come as no surprise at all to anyone in New Orleans. If Payton wants to be the highest paid coach in the NFL, Benson might just be willing to accommodate him. Bill Belichick gets $7.5 M.
Benson has long thought of Payton as the best coach in football. It was Payton who made the Saints one of the most unlikely champions in all of sports. Benson has never forgotten what Payton did and wants to reward him for that. Benson also feels strongly that the Saints’ slow start to the season isn’t so much about Bountygate as it is about not having Payton coaching for the season.
For Benson it is imperative to head off any potential suitors. Though it remains unclear what exactly Payton’s contractual status will be once he returns, Benson wants to take no chances.
Tom Benson is also extremely loyal to Payton, a loyalty increased by Bountygate. Benson remains extremely irritated over the length of the suspensions and he has met with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to express his displeasure. He wants to stop any possible end run around him to get to Payton. It appears that Benson is about to open his checkbook nice and wide for Sean. The contract that Benson gave Drew Brees was one of the richest in league history. Brees receives a salary averaging $20 million per season, $60 million in guaranteed money and a $37 million signing bonus.
Sean Payton is smarter than I thought, and I thought he was plenty smart.
Whatever Payton was making last season in New Orleans … double it.
He’s probably worth it, too. The guy was smart enough to lead the Saints out of their mediocrity of the early 2000s which was one of the high points in franchise history, and then to the Super Bowl title.
Unless Roger Goodell pulls another Roger Goodell and puts a halt to Sean Payton for the hell of it, Payton is about to become the most coveted, most expensive free agent coach in NFL history.
All of that is well and good but there is one thing that has been overlooked.
Sean cannot get a good bowl of Cajun Gumbo in Dallas, there is no Crawfish Bisque in Philly nor any Oyster Po-Boys in Cleveland. So, forget it.
The Head Saint Ain’t Leaving!
