Sean Payton - C - Saints
The New Orleans Times-Picayune's Larry Holder believes Sean Payton will "test his options" this offseason if the Saints do not "show significant improvement."
The team is not going to significantly improve over the final month of the season, so the improvement Holder is talking about may be on an organizational or roster level. New Orleans has been living in cap purgatory for several seasons, and it is not going to get any better next year unless they find some way to reduce Drew Brees' $30 million cap hit. The Saints could save $20 million of that number by trading Brees, but that would leave Payton in the midst of a rebuild in an organization with a shaky ownership situation. It is unlikely Payton wants to go down that road, and it is difficult to see the light getting much brighter at the end of the tunnel without a drastic move. CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora reported New Orleans is open to trading their coach, and it would not be surprising if a deal was struck early in the offseason.
Source: New Orleans Times-Picayune
Dec 11 - 11:52 PM