Saints Gave Broncos Permission to Interview Sean Payton, per Report

New Orleans has reportedly given Denver permission to speak with its former head coach.

The Broncos have reportedly requested and earned permission from the Saints to interview Sean Payton for their head coach vacancy, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. 

Payton’s name has been linked to Denver since the Broncos fired Nathaniel Hackett on Dec. 26. Payton retired from New Orleans after the 2021 season. However, per Schefter, no in-person interviews can be conducted between Payton and Denver until at least Jan. 17.

Payton’s name has been linked to multiple franchises during the 2022 football season that include the Rams, the Chargers—his initial two preferred destinations—and a potential return to the Saints. While Payton has preferences based in Los Angeles and will interview with Denver, he is still technically under contract with the Saints.

As a result, any team within the league would have to agree to trade compensation with the Saints to hire him, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The expectation is that New Orleans will request any team send a first-round draft pick and more. 

With that, New Orleans could still potentially ask him to return for the 2023 season. The Saints are 7–9 in their first year under Dennis Allen, Payton’s defensive coordinator from 2015 to ’21, as coach.

If Payton returns to the NFL, he has said that he would like to put together an “all-star staff” that reportedly includes Vic Fangio as his defensive coordinator, per Schefter. Fangio, a longtime NFL defensive coach, spent three seasons as Denver’s head coach before he was fired after the 2021 season. Since then, Fangio has been away from the NFL ranks. 

Denver (4–12) sits at the bottom of the AFC West with its season finale against the Chargers on Sunday.