After the 2021 season, Sean Payton announced his retirement as a head coach, after spending nine years manning the sidelines for the New Orleans Saints. After one year away from football, Payton got the itch to return to coaching and the Denver Broncos were interested in his services. That resulted in the Broncos and Saints negotiating a trade to send Payton to Denver to lead the organization out of futility.
This offseason, the Broncos made various changes across the roster, notably at quarterback, with Bo Nix seemingly getting the start as a rookie. As Broncos fans are looking to see how the schedule will shape out leading into the full announcement on Wednesday night, we have an official date for Payton's return to New Orleans.
According to NewOrleans.Football's Nick Underhill, the Broncos will visit the Superdome to play the Saints on Oct. 17, which will take place on Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime.
Saints play Denver on October 17. Sean Payton's return to the Superdome comes on Thursday Night Football.
— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) May 15, 2024
Sean Payton to return to New Orleans to face Saints on Oct. 17
Putting Payton's return to primetime does make sense, considering the significance of the game. After all, Payton helped turn the Saints into one of the top contenders in the NFC during his tenure and, of course, won the franchise their first-ever Lombardi Trophy. Payton holds a 152-89 regular season record and a 9-8 playoff record.
Payton will be on the opposing sidelines for the first time since leaving the Saints. Leading the Saints is Payton's former defensive coordinator of seven years, Dennis Allen. Since being promoted as head coach in 2022, Allen holds a 16-18 record. The Saints have never made it to the playoffs in either of his two seasons.
The Saints will have Derek Carr starting in his second year with the team. Year One didn't go as planned, as Carr struggled despite the weapons at his disposal on offense. As for the Broncos, it appears that they will go with Nix, who they drafted out of Oregon with the 12th overall pick, as their starter.
This should be a hot ticket at New Orleans, with Saints fans having the chance to welcome Payton back to the Superdome.