So, what was it about Payton that suggested he was an alpha dog? He was demoted while with the Giants, and he was just a QB coach for the Cowboys. Payton didn't have a lot of skins on the wall when he was hired, either.
He was mentored by Parcels. It was also 2006, we are on the 2025 hiring cycle. Joe Brady strikes me as an OC, not HC. Ben Johnson seems like he might be able to be a HC, but that's TBD.