Five NFL head coaches who are on the hot seat

Sean Payton

There comes a time in almost every NFL head coach’s career when it becomes best for his team and for himself that he moves on to greener pastures. Even the best head coaches’ messages get tiresome and a new message needs to be brought in. That is precisely what is happening with the New Orleans Saints and head coach Sean Payton.

Payton has been with the Saints for nine seasons (not including 2012 when he faced a year-long suspension due to Bountygate) and has a career record of 84-55 in the regular season. He has a playoff record of 6-4 including a Super Bowl victory. Payton had almost all of his success in his first seven seasons, going 73-39 and leading the Saints to six seasons with at least a .500 record while making five playoff appearances. He won the NFC South title three times.

Payton has not had that same success over the past two NFL seasons. The Saints finished with a 7-9 record in 2014 and currently have a 4-7 record in 2015. That’s not necessarily grounds for firing. NFL coaches who are inferior to Payton have been given longer leashes than that. But one has to think that the Saints were already pretty upset with Payton due to Bountygate. The past two seasons could give their front office and ownership an excuse to fire him.

Perhaps it’s best for both the Saints and Payton that they move on from each other and go their separate ways. Both parties would likely benefit from a change.

Next: Jeff Fisher