Saints Plan to Be Away from New Orleans for a Month amid Hurricane Ida, Payton Says

Saints coach Sean Payton says he expects the team to be away from New Orleans for at least the next month in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida.

Payton told reporters the team is planning to stay in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and would likely play home games at the Cowboys' AT&T Stadium. Jeff Duncan of the Times-Picayune reported the team would be practicing at TCU starting next week.

Hurricane Ida made landfall Sunday as a Category 4 storm, leaving the entire city of New Orleans without power and doing severe damage across Louisiana.

The team was slated to open its regular season Sept. 12 at home against the Green Bay Packers. The Cowboys are on the road in Week 1.

The only potential scheduling conflict comes in Week 4, when the Cowboys and Saints were both set to host home games. While it is yet to be determined exactly how long the Saints will be out of New Orleans, a contingency plan will need to be put in place. It's unlikely the New York Giants, the Saints' Week 4 opponent, would be able to host that game because the Jets are set to have a Week 4 home game. The Giants and Jets share Metlife Stadium.

This story will obviously need time to develop, as the city of New Orleans rebuilds following the natural disaster.