Underhill on Payton

Were hypothetically Payton going to leave, I would expect an announcement very quickly rather than three weeks from now. The season ended for the Saints two weeks ago. Leaving would put the Saints in a tough spot. Leaving three weeks from now would put the Saints in an incredibly tough spot--unless the motivation is to reduce substantially the team's options with regard to hiring someone outside the building and to force team management to promote as head coach someone currently on the staff. Again we are talking hypothetically because I do not believe this speculation is anything other than speculation, but in my opinion, a resignation by Payton would call for a full and open search to hire the best coach and not rote promotion of someone on the staff.