According to rumors around the Chargers possible head coaching position, Sean Payton is interested in the role.
For now, Brandon Staley is the Los Angeles Chargers‘ head coach. But after the team’s historic implosion on Saturday night against the Jacksonville Jaguars where they gave up a 27-point lead, it’s worth questioning how much longer he’ll be in the position.
Fans want him out, and it looks like if ownership wants to build a contender around Justin Herbert, they should want him out, too. There are simply no excuses for giving up a lead that large in a playoff game.
Attention has turned toward Sean Payton, who has been rather tepid when speaking publicly about his interest in returning to coaching. So far he’s admitted that he’s taken conversations and scheduled interviews, but he genuinely seems to enjoy his TV gig.
The Chargers could be an exception, and appear to be the front-runner to pull him out of his retirement.
Chargers rumors suggest they can have Sean Payton if they want him
According to Los Angeles sports reporter Arash Markazi, Sean Payton is interested in the head coaching gig, and, “It’s the only job he has really wanted as he watched this season from his home in Manhattan Beach, which is a few miles from where the Chargers are building their new training facility.”
Sean Payton wants the Chargers job. It’s the only job he has really wanted as he watched this season from his home in Manhattan Beach, which is a few miles from where the Chargers are building their new training facility. The question now is how badly do the Chargers want him?
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) January 15, 2023
Earlier this year, Payton was spotted at a Chargers game which sparked initial rumors that he might be interested in taking Staley’s job, were it to become available. Fans were quick to point out that Payton wore Chargers colors on his tie yesterday on the air, too.
Remember, Payton’s rights are still owned by the Saints. Any team that hires Payton needs to convince the Saints to waive their rights to him, and that will almost certainly take a haul of draft picks. Considering the Saints don’t have a first-round pick this year, they will want at least that.
Other teams interested in Payton are the Broncos, Texans, and Cardinals. The opportunity to work with a great young quarterback like Justin Herbert makes the Chargers position the most attractive if it is to become officially available to Payton.