NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — “We don’t know. Who knows? We’ll find out soon enough I guess. I don’t think any of us know, but he will let us know soon enough.”
This was the response from New Orleans Saints and Pelicans owner Gayle Benson at her press event early Monday afternoon in regards to rumors surrounding New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton’s future with the team.
Several national media outlets and NFL analysts like Ian Rapoport have reported that Payton was “not committed” to returning to the team in 2022.
Those reports were met with opposition from local beat writers that Payton has no reason to leave the team.
Here are the facts and what we know to be true:
Sean Payton is under contract with the New Orleans Saints through the 2026 season.
The Saints finished the 2021 season with a 9-8 record in Payton’s first season without quarterback Drew Brees and in a season where his team overcame countless obstacles to remain in the NFC playoff hunt.
The next time we are expected to hear from Coach Payton is at Reese’s Senior Bowl football practices next week in Mobile, Ala.
Whether he plans to address the speculation is unknown, but as of Monday, Jan. 24, Sean Payton is the head coach of the New Orleans Saints.