Sean Payton suggests landing Patrick Mahomes like he hoped would have kept him from retiring

Former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton is rumored to be coming back, and he reflected on his past, particularly when Patrick Mahomes was almost a Saint.

The New Orleans Saints nearly had Patrick Mahomes in the bag in 2017 but missed him by just one pick. The Kansas City Chiefs had the 10th pick of the first round and used it on Mahomes, while the Saints had to go for a backup pick with the 11th of the first round.

This is, of course, an uncontrollable situation for New Orleans, and the Chiefs’ assessment was right, giving them one of the best quarterbacks currently in the league. However, since Drew Brees’ retirement after the 2020 season, the Saints have struggled to find a good replacement, and the wound for what Mahomes could’ve done with the Saints still stings.

Payton reflected on this and spoke about the time Mahomes almost became a Saint. Steve Serby of the New York Post held an interview with Payton, and Serby began picking Payton’s brain on certain quarterbacks and how they’d impact his decision on which team to coach.

Serby stated, “The Chiefs traded in front of you to No. 10 in the 2017 draft to beat you to Mahomes.”

Payton then responded, “I wouldn’t be on the phone with you right now if that happened.”

Could having Mahomes in New Orleans truly have stopped Payton from stepping away from the NFL for a bit? Considering the amount of success Mahomes brings, it’d certainly be more difficult to step away.

Patrick Mahomes could’ve made Saints success look much different

The Saints aren’t nearly the team they were with Brees in the mix. Last season, they finished second in the NFC South with a 9-8 record, which isn’t bad but it’s not nearly what they’ve achieved in the past. This season, they’re unfortunately falling down far in third in the standings with a 4-7 record heading into their Week 12 matchup against the Niners.

Before losing Brees, the last time they didn’t win the division was in the 2016 season when they finished third with a 7-9 record. He proved to be highly reliable and was a veteran of the team, playing in New Orleans from 2006 until 2020.

There wasn’t a strong need for Mahomes at the time considering how well Brees was doing, but he would’ve been great for depth and one of the most reliable backups to emerge as a starter. Essentially, the Saints didn’t have someone to fill Brees’ shoes, and they’ve lost a great deal of their success because of that.

Payton stepped down in 2021, right after Brees’ retirement. While there’s no suggestion that Payton retired because Brees did, it’s hard to imagine him not wanting to stick around to watch Mahomes continue the legacy of the team when he had so much interest in him during scouting.

The Saints need someone like Mahomes as it could’ve redefined success for them in the post-Brees era, and it’s unfortunate that they missed him by just one pick.