Sean Peyton's story with the New Orleans Saints has come to an end.
NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday that Peyton is stepping down as head coach of the Saints.
Peyton, 58, left the Saints with an overall regular-season record of 152–89 and a post-season mark of 9–8, including a Super Bowl win and the 2006 AP Coach of the Year award in 15 seasons.
"Honestly, as I sit here today, and it's okay, I don't know what's next," Peyton told reporters during a news conference on Tuesday. "Look, I read the report and I didn't talk to anyone from a media outlet regarding doing television or radio, maybe that opportunity comes but every time I read something that says, 'He's for this job. The line is, 'I'll call my agent, Don [Yi], and I'll say, 'Don, did you hear anything? Because I haven't heard anything.' And that's okay. I think I'd like to do that, I think I'll be pretty good at it. So, today it's okay to step outside in like cold weather and be a little uncomfortable, either professionally or from a career point of view. I don't like the word 'retirement', Mr B [the late owner Tom Benson] didn't like it either, he always said 'retirement has a higher rating.' We sell this image of retirement by these investment groups on TV and on the golf course and, so yes, I still have a vision to work in football and, I'll be honest with you, it will happen again at some point. Coaching may be I don't think it is this year, I think it may be in future, but my heart is not like that right now. It is not like that at all."
Peyton later reiterated that his next stop might be TV.
"I've had a few opportunities," he said. "I talked to Drew (Breeze) a little bit about it last night. I don't know that part of it very well, but it would be something that would interest me."
Rapoport reported that Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen is considered the prime candidate to replace Peyton. Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn is also expected to be interviewed, according to Rapoport.
Rapoport reported Sunday that Peyton, who had three years left on his contract, had not committed to returning to coach New Orleans after an incredibly difficult and challenging season.
Saints owner Gail Benson confirmed the uncertainty in New Orleans on Monday when he said "I don't think any of us know" what Peyton's future holds with the team.
Now we have the answer, and the tough 2021 season will go down with the Saints as their last. Peyton acknowledged there could be speculation that he would seek a coach elsewhere in 2022 – he has often been linked to Dallas, where he served as assistant head coach and quarterback coach for three years before moving to New Orleans Was - but that's not on his radar right now.
"I felt like 10 years went by and we talked a lot about the other team, and I get it, I understand it. But no, I don't plan to coach in 2022. And that's how I feel," Peyton said.
Benson, who was present at the news conference, issued a statement through the team, expressing his gratitude for Peyton's contribution to the franchise and the region.
"On behalf of our entire organization, I have the most appreciation for what Sean Peyton has meant to the New Orleans Saints since 2006," Benson said. “Shaun came to New Orleans during a difficult time for our organization as well as the entire Gulf South region after Hurricane Katrina. Under his leadership, Shaun has taken this football team to new heights with what was easily its most successful period. helped show what can be accomplished with a combination of vision, hard work, leadership from our coaching staff and players. We are grateful for everything Sean has given to this organization and this city and I My best wishes to him and his lovely wife Skyline in the future."
Peyton's time with the once grieving Saints was nothing short of remarkable. Coach arrived in 2006, coinciding with the franchise's monumental signing of trees. Together, Peyton and Breeze transformed a club once known as a laughing stock, much to its existence as a perennial contender.
The turnaround was immediate, with Peyton's squad winning 10 games in their first season and a divisional round victory over the Philadelphia Eagles before eventually falling to the Chicago Bears in the NFC Championship Game. Peyton would get his shot at a title a few years later, when he led the Saints to a 13–3 regular-season finish, a first-round bye and two NFC playoff wins – including a thrilling overtime win over Brett Favre's Minnesota Vikings. , a game that would later serve as a source of massive controversy—on the way to the franchise's first and only Super Bowl victory.
Just four years into the job, Peyton was the Super Bowl champion, taking down the mighty Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV. Three years later, the NFL suspended him for one season as a result of the league's investigation into New Orleans' bounty program.
When Peyton returned, the Saints resumed their pursuit of football glory, winning 11 games in 2013 to finish New Orleans 7–9 for three straight seasons before falling into a rut. Payton weathered the storm, however, mounting a strong end to the decade that included three straight winning seasons from 2017–2019. No one saw the Saints return to the Super Bowl, two seasons ended at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings, and another reduced in heartbreaking fashion in an overtime loss to the Los Angeles Rams, which received its own dose of controversy and an NFL. Produced rule changes. - Temporary implementation of reviewable pass intervention - which lasted only one season.
Peyton's legacy as a coach extends beyond a Lombardi trophy he won with the Saints. The former Eagles, Giants and Cowboys assistant rose through the ranks to become a pillar in the NFL, serving in the same role at New Orleans from 2006–2021, save for the 2012 season missed due to suspension. Peyton's influence extended beyond Louisiana, and the coach spent four years on the league's competition committee.
Under Peyton's watch, the Saints were always considered contenders, and even fought until the end of their first season without the Brees before being eliminated by postseason contention with a 9–8 record.
With potential rebuilding under the center and guaranteed uncertainty, Payton doesn't stick around for changes. One season of instability seemed enough for the coach, who was forced to start more quarterbacks in a season than any other coach in the NFL (four: Jameis Winston, Tessom Hill, Trevor Simian and Ian Book). Payton confirmed Tuesday that he had even reached out to Breeze about coming out of retirement to end the Saints season, ahead of a Week 16 matchup against the Dolphins.
Now, Peyton will move on from the patrolling shores as leader of New Orleans for more than a decade.
Filling his shoes will be incredibly difficult for general manager Mickey Loomis, who hasn't had a full-time head coach since the sacking of Jim Haslett after the 2005 season.