Sean Payton has made it clear that he could end up returning to coaching in 2023 if he can find the right situation and as of right now, it seems that he has his eyes set on three possible teams for his return.
Back in July, there was a report suggesting the Payton was eyeing the Chargers, Dolphins or Cowboys, but now, it seems that his preferences have slightly changed. According to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, Payton would prefer to coach one of the teams in Los Angeles (Rams or Chargers).
The former Saints coach is currently living in L.A. and working for Fox Sports.
"If he had his druthers, that is where he would remain, in the city of Los Angeles," Rapoport said. "If somehow or some way the Rams job or Chargers job came open, that would be something that Sean Payton would take a look at."
Although the Rams and Chargers jobs aren't open right now, it's not inconceivable that one of them becomes available. If the Chargers don't make the playoffs, they could make the decision to move on from Brandon Staley. As for the Rams, Sean McVay had some serious thoughts about retiring earlier this year and after suffering through the first losing season of his career, it's possible that he could once again consider an early retirement this offseason.
Of course, it's possible that the Rams and Chargers jobs don't come open and in that case, another team Payton might possibly be eyeing is New Orleans. According to NOLA.com, Payton may also consider returning to the Saints if he were to make a coaching comeback in 2023.
Payton has done several interviews over the past few months and he hasn't tried to hide the fact that he would like to return to an NFL sideline next season.
"If the right situation presented itself, I would definitely be interested," Payton said on the NewOrleans.Football podcast back on Sept. 22, via ESPN.com. "And there's no utopia, if you will, when it comes to teams, but if I felt like it was the right situation, I would have an interest in that."
Over the past few months, there have been reports that Payton would prefer to have a sound quarterback situation along with a preference to stay in L.A., but he'll also be looking for something else in his potential future team.
"The most important element is functional ownership [and] front office," Payton said in September. "There's a handful of teams that aren't, and those teams, regardless of what takes place, they can win on Sunday but they have trouble winning long term. The opportunity to win consistently and the willingness to build the correct culture and all those things."
Payton coached the Saints for 16 seasons before deciding earlier this year that he wanted to take some time off. The Dolphins tried to lure Payton away from New Orleans back in January, but they came up empty AND they ended up getting punished for tampering since Payton is still under contract with the Saints.
That last part is one key thing to keep in mind when it comes to Payton's future. Even if the head coaching job for the Rams or Chargers comes open, it won't be easy for either team to land Payton. Even though he's out of football right now, he's still under contract with the Saints, which means any team that wants to pursue him will have to first work out a potential trade with New Orleans.
Payton is a highly successful NFL coach with a Super Bowl win on his resume and if a team has to make a deal for him, the Saints could end up landing as much as a first-round pick in any potential trade.
