Which Interested Team is Best Fit for Sean Payton amid Latest NFL Coaching Rumors?

One of the biggest storylines in the NFL of late has been the pursuit of Sean Payton by numerous teams. After retiring last offseason, the former New Orleans Saints head coach could be back on the sidelines soon.

On Monday, Payton interviewed with the Houston Texans for their opening at head coach. On Tuesday, the 59-year-old interviewed for the Denver Broncos' job, according to Mike Klis of 9NEWS Denver. More teams also appear to be in the running to land Payton.

Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper is scheduled to meet with Payton on Friday, per ESPN's Dianna Russini. The Arizona Cardinals have also been granted permission to interview Payton, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Because Payton retired while he was still under contract with New Orleans, any team will need to work out a trade with the Saints in order to be able to sign him. That price will likely be some type of draft compensation.

Of course, Payton also needs to be persuaded to come out of coaching retirement. NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported on Wednesday that for Payton to return to be the head coach of a team, the opportunity is "just going to have to be right."

"If Sean Payton winds up going back to TV and saying, 'Hey, I'll just take another year with Fox and then decide next year to jump back into it and see if those opportunities are more to my liking,' it wouldn't surprise me at all," Garafolo said. "I really feel like Payton's feeling this out and saying, 'If it's not right, I'm not going to jump for the sake of jumping back in.'"

However, it seems that Payton has at least decent interest in going to Denver.

Mark Maske of The Washington Post reported that the Broncos "remain in very strong position" to hire Payton, even if other teams with head-coach openings are just as interested. He's "told associates that he likes the Broncos' stable ownership and is willing to work with Russell Wilson," per Maske.

That isn't stopping other teams from pursuing Payton, though. Especially the Panthers, it appears.

Maske also tweeted that Tepper would give Payton "just about anything he wants" to become the next head coach of the Panthers. But Maske isn't sure "how enthusiastic Payton is at this point" regarding the Carolina job. Perhaps there could be a better idea of that after Tepper and Payton's reported meeting on Friday.

So, Payton could have a challenging decision coming up soon. He might have his pick of four NFL head-coaching jobs, or he could continue to work as an analyst on Fox for at least another year, as Garafolo indicated.

But if Payton wants to get back to coaching now, it's clear what the best choice would be for him this offseason: signing with Denver.

The Broncos greatly underperformed during the 2022 season, when they went 5-12 and fired first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett with two games still to go in the regular season. Instead of being a contender in the AFC West like some expected, Denver quickly fell to the bottom of the division standings.

However, the Broncos should surely pay Payton well. And they have some exciting young players to build around on both sides of the ball, such as wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, cornerback Patrick Surtain II and others.

Plus, Wilson still has the potential to return to form. The 34-year-old thrived for much of his 10 years with the Seattle Seahawks, and working with Payton (who had great success with Drew Brees in New Orleans) could be just what Wilson needs to get back on track.

So it would be best for Payton to get back into coaching now by becoming the new head coach of the Broncos. It isn't clear what opportunities may be available next offseason. And in Denver, he'll get a chance to help a franchise get things turned around in quick fashion.