So this is a tough angle to explore in the wake of Sean Payton’s surprise retirement as New Orleans Saints head coach. The Saints had an opportunity to make a big splash at quarterback with Payton at the helm, or to at least run it back with Jameis Winston. Having a Super Bowl-winning coach characterized as a quarterback guru was highly appealing.
Now he’s gone. And you’ve got to wonder if high-profile quarterbacks like Russell Wilson are still interested in coming to New Orleans without him. That’s also true of Winston himself, who explicitly signed with the Saints well beneath his market value because of the experience he’d get working with Payton. Now that Payton is gone, would Winston be up for coming back?
It’s a viable question. The rest of the support staff — offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. and quarterbacks coach Ronald Curry — is still in place, for now. But Payton was the headliner, and it’s going to be difficult to sell New Orleans now to a quarterback who was eager to be coached by him.
Maybe it isn’t that big of a deal. The Saints have enough other positives — a weak division, an elite defense, an established coaching staff, and a front office willing to move mountains to gain an edge — to attract many players. But if there’s a scenario where the chance to work with Payton would have been the tipping point in a blue-chip quarterback choosing to go elsewhere, well; that’s a tough break.
