NFL Rumors: Latest Gossip Surrounding 2023 Head Coaching Vacancies

The Sean Payton sweepstakes appears to be on.

The former New Orleans Saints head coach is the hottest commodity on the NFL head coach rumor mill.

Payton has received interest from a handful of teams with job openings.

The Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts are all in the market for new head coaches.

Arizona, Denver and Houston have all requested interviews with Payton, who stepped away from the New Orleans Saints after the end of last season.

Only one of those teams could land Payton, so the search has to be on to interview other candidates as well.

Former NFL head coaches and rising coordinators will get a bulk of the interviews from the five teams with vacancies.

Three Teams Request Sean Payton Interview

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ATLANTA, GA JANUARY 09: New Orleans head coach Sean Payton leaves the field along with guard Calvin Throckmorton (76) following the conclusion of the New Orleans Saints and the Atlanta Falcons on January 9th, 2022 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Arizona, Denver and Houston all requested interviews with Sean Payton.

Arizona is in the process of hiring a new head coach and general manager after the departures of Kliff Kingsbury and Steve Keim, respectively. The Cardinals can entice a head coach candidate to work with Kyler Murray.

Denver moved on from Nathaniel Hackett after one season, and it needs a head coach to right the ship after a brutal first year with Russell Wilson.

Houston needs consistency at head coach after firing coaches after two straight seasons. The Texans have a long rebuild in front of them, and that may not draw in Payton since Arizona and Denver have franchise quarterbacks in place.

Rapoport noted that any team that hires Payton needs to compensate the Saints since the former head coach is still under contract with them:

"You would think that if any team is going to talk to Sean Payton it is going to cost them. The New Orleans Saints want a first-round pick and potentially more for compensation to allow another team to hire a head coach under contract with them. By these teams requesting permission, you would think all teams are on board with that."

New Orleans does not have a first-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft. Landing one from a team that hires Payton would be a massive step in the right direction for them.

Raheem Morris Interviewing With Two Teams

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TAMPA, FL - JANUARY 23: Los Angeles Rams Defensive Coordinator Raheem Morris after the NFC Divisional playoff game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on January 23, 2022, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa , FL. (Photo by Jordon Kelly/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

According to Ian Rapoport, Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris will talk with Denver and Indianapolis in the coming days.

Morris has head coaching experience from his time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Morris went 17-31 with Tampa Bay, and he was also 4-7 as the Atlanta Falcons interim head coach in 2020.

Morris resides in an interesting spot with some uncertainty in Los Angeles about Sean McVay's future.

A move away from Los Angeles could benefit Morris if the coaching swap does happen. The Rams already lost offensive coordinator Liam Coen to Kentucky, where he previously coached before joining the Rams.

Morris makes sense as a head coaching candidate because he has experience in the job and is one of the most respected defensive minds in the league.

If Morris lands a job, you would think he brings in some sort of offensive coaching support to work with the quarterback of that franchise.

Denver Interviews David Shaw

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PALO ALTO, CA - NOVEMBER 26: Head Coach David Shaw of the Stanford Cardinal waits to enter the stadium before an NCAA college football game against the BYU Cougars on November 26, 2022 at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by David Madison/Getty Images)

Former Stanford head coach David Shaw had an interview with the Denver Broncos on Wednesday, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Shaw recently stepped away from the Stanford job after experiencing a few rough losing seasons.

The 50-year-old left Stanford with a 96-54 record, and he has experience in the NFL from the start of his coaching career.

Shaw was one of the most well-respected coaches in college football, and he could be a good outside-of-the-box hire for Denver.

The Broncos need to exhaust every avenue possible in the coaching search because of how bad the Hackett hire turned out to be.

Denver's ownership group needs to find the perfect coach, whether he comes from college or within the NFL, to take the franchise back to prominence and contend with the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West.