Without Sean Payton, there might not be a New Orleans Saints anymore.
Just before Payton joined the Saints as their head coach, the threat of moving to San Antonio was real. It might be too simplistic to say that when Payton and quarterback Drew Brees immediately turned the franchise around, transforming it into a winner and eventually a Super Bowl champion for the first time, they saved the Saints in New Orleans. But it was a big factor.
Payton returns on Thursday night as coach of the Denver Broncos, and you can chat during the game with other fans as well as our NFL experts in the Yahoo Sports app. His exit from the Saints was a little awkward, with him stepping down a year after Brees retired but making it pretty clear that he would probably coach again. After a year as part of Fox Sports’ NFL coverage, he wanted back in. The Broncos wanted him and swung a big trade to get him. The Saints are 18-22 since Payton stepped down.
Saints fans wouldn’t boo Payton, right? Heck, the surprise onside kick in Super Bowl XLIV alone should be worth a standing ovation.
“I hope he gets booed when he comes in,” longtime Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan said in August the Up & Adams Show, via NOLA.com. “I hope he gets booed, like how dare you go somewhere else?
“If they boo, I’m going to boo with them. Because he’s going to feed off it. There’s nothing you can do to Sean Payton to affect Sean Payton.”
But, that won’t happen, right?
“No, because he won a championship here,” Jordan said.
That’s probably the right outcome. Payton gave them 15 great years. New Orleans even got some draft picks out of him on his way to Colorado.
Anatomy of the Sean Payton trade
The Saints still had Payton under contract when he wanted to come back, which meant some team was going to have to trade for him. There are moving pieces to the Payton trade, but the Broncos made the most out of what they got back.
The Saints got a 2023 first-round pick, 29th overall, and a 2024 second for Payton, and New Orleans sent off a 2024 third-round pick to Denver, too. The Saints used the 2023 first-round pick on defensive tackle Bryan Bresee. Bresee was a rotational player last season and became a starter this season, and has four sacks through the Saints’ first six games.
The Saints used Denver’s second-round pick this year, which ended up being 45th overall, to move up four spots to take cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry. The Green Bay Packers used the second-rounder they got from the Saints on linebacker Edgerrin Cooper. The Saints also sent a fifth- and sixth-round pick to the Packers in the move up, and both of those picks were subsequently traded by Green Bay. McKinstry was considered a top talent coming out of Alabama but has been in and out of the lineup as a rookie, starting one game and not making much of an impact yet. But he could develop into a good starter down the line.
The Broncos might have gotten a steal with that pick they got back. They traded that pick, along with a 2023 fourth-round pick (108th overall, which the Seattle Seahawks used on starting guard Anthony Bradford), for the 83rd overall pick in the third round of the 2023 draft. They used that pick on cornerback Riley Moss, who has become a starter opposite Patrick Surtain II this season and has played well. He is No. 9 among all cornerbacks this season in Pro Football Focus’ grades. The Saints’ original 2024 third-round pick, which the Broncos traded to get Moss, was used by the Seahawks on guard Christian Haynes, who has played sparingly as a rookie.
It’s arguable that to date, Moss is the best player to come out of all the picks in that trade. And Denver got its coach too.
Payton’s return
We’re a long, long way from being able to tell who got the best of the Payton deal, or if it was worth it for anyone involved.
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For the Saints, the main glimmer of hope came in the first two games this season, when the offense exploded and they went 2-0. Then they lost four in a row, leading to questions about whether Payton’s replacement, Dennis Allen, might be in trouble. The Saints were aging and had salary cap issues when Payton left, and that really hasn’t changed. The glory days seem long ago.
The Broncos have a good coach but they had a lot to dig out of. First and foremost, the Russell Wilson contract had to be dealt with and it was, with $85 million in dead cap hits once he was cut. Payton is 11-12 as Broncos coach, though he has gotten the most out of the roster to reach 11 wins so far in Denver. Whether Payton has a strong second chapter with Denver — which could pave the way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame — probably depends on how rookie quarterback Bo Nix develops.
The Saints haven’t replicated their success under Payton. Payton hasn’t replicated his Saints success with the Broncos, not yet anyway. It was an ideal scenario and New Orleans enjoyed the ride. The city and Payton will be reminded of the good times together on Thursday night.