New NFL on Fox studio analyst Sean Payton is enjoying his broadcasting work, but isn’t closing the door on a return to coaching.
Payton appeared on the New Orleans Football podcast with Mike Triplett and Nick Underhill on Wednesday, and didn’t close the door on a return to the coaching world.
Will Sean Payton coach in 2023? He joined me and @MikeTriplett to discuss his present, future and what he sees from the Saints on today's podcast.https://t.co/YptBk7Eckv pic.twitter.com/1sqJSodpFI
— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) September 21, 2022
When asked if he’d want to coach in 2023, Payton responded “I really enjoy what I’m doing right now, more maybe than I thought. If the right situation presented itself, I would definitely be interested. 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. That all being said, that could come in a year, that could come in two years. In the meantime, you do get immersed with what you’re currently doing. You want to be good at it, and not just doing it, so I’ve kinda just been focused on that.”
Payton was heavily linked to various TV jobs earlier this year, with Fox targeting him to replace Troy Aikman (before Aikman even left for ESPN). Amazon was also reportedly a suitor, but Fox won out and hired Payton for a studio role. He’s shown up on Fox NFL Kickoff and Fox NFL Sunday this season, and seems like he could be a long-term replacement for Jimmy Johnson, who will only appear in studio this season during doubleheader weeks (making remote appearances from home during singleheader weeks). But if Payton heads back into coaching, as many figure he will (especially if the Dallas Cowboys job opens up), Fox will have to go back to the drawing board.
