Ask Me Anything with TCUDan starts now
Thanks for taking the time to answer all these questions
Was there any scenario where Sean Payton is still Saints coach in 2022?
If we didn't have all those injuries and won those 12-13 games?
even with the injuries, if we had made the playoffs and won a game?
Or do you think he was he leaving no matter what?
Not doing the AMA anymore, but I do want to answer this question.
No. I don't see a scenario where Payton stays this season. And I'm not saying that because I have some inside information or anything like that... it's just my perspective as a coach (as an HC, specifically).
The burnout in football is real. Coaching at any level, it completely consumes your life. Payton just got remarried. His kids are growing up. He's probably already missed a ton of time with them over the past 16 years (even more, if we go back through his entire coaching career). I imagine that he would like to be a little more mobile and available, and I think the rumored 'allure' of coaching in Dallas was ALWAYS about being closer to his kids.
It goes without saying that we're all human at the end of the day, even NFL coaches, and in my experience, if you're going to take a break, leave a team, retire altogether--you've usually made that decision months in advance. It doesn't happen spur of the moment. Sure, you take some time after the season to reflect, consider, seek counsel... but you usually already have your mind made up.
I've turned down a good money and walked away from players/coaches who I absolutely love with every beating fiber of my heart because of some trigger during a season (usually a series of them) that made me decide that a particular stint with a team would be my last. You can't put a price on your life and happiness, and I'd imagine with Payton being the reflective, thoughtful man that he is, he had his mind made up well before the season ended.
And no, it doesn't affect your performance and work ethic if you're a professional. Even when I was set on moving on after the season, I never could have phoned it in and still been able to look my guys in the eye. No way, no how. You still do your job, and you treat it as any competitor would.