His answer was as emphatic today as it was obtuse just yesterday. Sean Payton shot down any rumors and reports that he would be leaving the New Orleans Saints for the Los Angeles Rams Monday when he stated on his weekly radio program, “My plan is to definitely be back here… I have four years left on my contract, and I plan on honoring that.”
#Saints Payton ask can you definitively say you are going to coach #Saints in 2017 "Absolutely. My plan is to definitely to be back here"
— Kristian Garic (@KristianGaric) January 3, 2017
To decipher that after a week of speculations and supposed “mutual intensest,” probably means the Rams weren’t willing to give up the compensation needed to get Payton away from the Saints. Does that mean the deal is dead? Not according to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapport.
“There’s a little wiggle room there,” Rapoport said. “He (Payton) uses the word ‘plan’ but he also uses the word ‘definitely,’ and this is Sean Payton’s most declarative sentence that he will be back in 2017 which means at this point it seems the Rams will not be trading for him. There’s a couple things here. The Rams are not going to fast track a Sean Payton interview. They don’t know. They wanted to get to know him and meet him if they were going to entertain this.”
Plans, of course, can change but the fact the Rams aren’t keen on speeding up any process necessitated Payton’s comments Monday. He’d been asked about it multiple times before and the most anybody got from him was “Next question.”
Drew Brees on Sean Payton's 100th win as Saints coach: I'm lucky enough to have been a part of every one of them. pic.twitter.com/3t3ucFozKV
— Doug Mouton (@DMoutonWWL) December 25, 2016
So does that means the Payton to the Rams rumor is dead? Not yet, but it certainly throws some cold water on it.
The Rams are in the midst of their coach interviews right now. They’re scheduled to meet with Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin, Panthers secondary coach Steve Wilks and Washington Redskins offensive coordinator Sean McVay.
Who’s the frontrunner if Payton really is out of the picture? I say Shanahan but the sportsbooks are all over the place. Josh McDaniels is +2oo on some boards. Jon Gruden, of all people is +150 on others.
As far as the big name candidates go, expect the Rams to announce first and then some of the other choice jobs like Denver and San Diego to fall into place after.
Denver Broncos
The Broncos have opened up their search, scheduling interviews with Kyle Shanahan, Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub.
San Diego Chargers
The Chargers open their search with Joseph and Toub.
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers are also scheduled to meet with Shanahan and McDaniels. They’re also meeting with Buffalo Bills interim head coach Anthony Lynn.
Buffalo Bills
The Bills will interview Goodwin, Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott and, of course, Lynn, who is already the interim head coach.
Jacksonville Jaguars
And last, and probably least, the Jaguars are looking at McDaniels, Shanahan, Goodwin, former New York Giants and Jaguars head coach Tom Coughlin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator Mike Smith and current interim head coach Doug Marrone.
Jets clean house
Not only did offensive coordinator Chan Gailey announce his retirement today from the New York Jets, he’ll take pretty much the entire assistant staff with him as he heads out to pasture.
The Jets announced the termination of quarterbacks coach Kevin Patullo, running backs coach Marcell Shipp, defensive line coach Pepper Johnson, outside linebackers coach Mark Collins and defensive backs coach Joe Danna.
That means the only coaches still under contract with the Jets are head coach Todd Bowles, defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers and special teams coordinator Brant Boyer.
The Jets have already set their eyes on a few replacements. According to Adam Caplan, Philadelphia Eagles quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo is the early favorite for the open offensive coordinator position.
Super Bowl Odds
If you’re looking to really make some money with an early Super Bowl bet, the Detroit Lions or Oakland Raiders are the team for you. The Lions and Raiders open up at 100-1 to make the Super Bowl.
The Miami Dolphins and Houston Texans will both pay off big as well. Both teams are 80-1. The New York Giants open 20-1 and the Seattle Seahawks 12-1. The Atlanta Falcons and Kansas City Chiefs are both 10-1. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers are both 8-1, the Dallas Cowboys are 7-2 and the New England Patriots lead the bunch at 7-5.
To make a wager on this week’s NFL games, go to the world famous Diamond Sportsbook by clicking here.
