It’s the end of an era for New Orlean Saints fans.
Sean Payton is official stepping down as head coach after 15 seasons with the team, NFL Network confirmed earlier:
He still has three years remaining on his current contract, but it’s been a rough season for the Saints this year, as they ended with a 9-8 record after being displaced from a hurricane early in the season, as well as dealing with a significant knee injury to their starting quarterback Jameis Winston in October… all on top of plenty of COVID issues like many other NFL teams.
Sean has been the head coach of the Saints since 2006, when he took over the team shortly after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city and helped the people there rebuild alongside former quarterback Drew Brees.
They turned what was a laughingstock of an NFL team for a long time into one that was a powerhouse in the NFC for years.
He leaves the team with an overall regular-season record of 152-89, and is the second-longest tenured head coach in the league at 15 seasons, right behind only Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots (22 seasons).
Of course, his crowning accomplishment is leading the Saints to a Super Bowl victory against the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl 44 after the 2009 season.
As a Carolina Panthers fan, I can’t say that I’m all that sad to see him go, but his presence in the city of New Orleans and incredible contributions to that city will be greatly missed by Saints fans. His impact goes far beyond football in Louisiana and cannot be overstated.
It’s unclear whether or not he’ll pursue other coaching jobs at this time, but he’s expected to hold a press conference at 4pm ET to officially announce his plans, after informing the team of his decision at a meeting this morning.
