The Arizona Cardinals concluded a day-long interview with former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton on Thursday, considering him for their vacant head coaching position.
The Cardinals, of course, fired Kliff Kingsbury after four seasons, following a very disappointing 4-13 2022 season.
Payton remains a possibility for the Cardinals.
NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported that the team is now resetting after the interview with Payton, deciding whether to pursue him, which includes negotiating compensation with the New Orleans Saints, or to look at other candidates for a second interview.
He named three — former Dolphins head coach and current Steelers defensive assistant Brian Flores, Broncos defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero and Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.
Vance Joseph, the defensive coordinator for the Cardinals under Kingsbury the last four seasons who interviewed for the job, appears to be out of contention.
Flores is the only one of the three other candidates with head coaching experience. He also has ties with new general manager Monti Ossenfort. He spent 2004-2018 with the New England Patriots as a scout and a coach on Bill Belichick’s staff.
Glenn has been the Lions’ defensive coordinator for two seasons. Before that, he was a defensive backs coach for the Cleveland Browns and New Orleans Saints from 2014-2020, and before that, he was a personnel scout for two years with the New York Jets.
Evero became a first-time defensive coordinator in 2021 for the Broncos under Nathaniel Hackett. He has experience coaching on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball and has been on staffs with the Buccaneers, 49ers, Packers and Rams before landing as DC of the Broncos.
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
