National Football League

Sean Payton announces he is stepping down as Saints head coach

Updated Jan. 25, 2022 4:55 p.m. ET

A year after losing one franchise icon, the New Orleans Saints are experiencing the departure of another.

Sean Payton announced Tuesday that he will be stepping down as head coach after spending 15 seasons as the leader of the franchise.

This announcement comes two days after news dropped that Payton had not committed to coaching beyond this season, despite having three years remaining on his contract.

The Saints finished the season 9-8, narrowly missing the playoffs in their first season since the retirement of quarterback Drew Brees.

Although Payton is stepping down as the head coach, he has not closed the door on returning to coach in the NFL in the future, whether that is in New Orleans or elsewhere.

On Tuesday's episode of "The Herd," Colin Cowherd proclaimed that if Payton were to move to another franchise in his coaching return, the Dallas Cowboys "make a ton of sense."

"I think Dallas fits," Cowherd said. "I think they have the pieces. I've always said I like Dak Prescott. To me, he's like a B, B+ quarterback. Sean Payton is the type of guy who can take a quarterback like Dak and move him a half of a grade."

Colin Cowherd on Sean Payton stepping down as Saints coach

Watch Cowherd break down why Sean Payton would be a good fit for the Dallas Cowboys.

As Peter Schrager pointed out on "The Herd," Payton has all the leverage if he were to return to coaching.

"Options is the key word," Schrager said. "This guy has a ton of leverage. He can do a lot of different things. He can take the year off, chill out in Cabo and kind of collect himself and explore these NFL jobs. We haven't had a single hire yet. Or he could enter our world and go into broadcasting."

Peter Schrager shares his thoughts on Sean Payton's next move

Peter Schrager discusses Sean Payton's potential next move, which could include television broadcasting or coaching another NFL team.

If this is truly the end of the Payton era in New Orleans, he oversaw the most successful era in the franchise's history.

Payton is the Saints' all-time leader in games coached (241), wins (151), playoff games (17) and playoff wins (nine).

From 1967 to 2005, the Saints won only 237 games — which ranked 26th in the NFL — while losing a league-high 352 games. They were the only team with 350 losses in that span.

The Saints have won 159 games in the Payton era, trailing only the Patriots (191), Packers (166) and Steelers (162) in that time.

The Saints' +1,211 point differential under Payton was second-best in the NFL, and he guided the team to winning records nine times while clinching nine playoff berths.

Payton also won the franchise's only Super Bowl in 2009.

The announcement of Payton's departure was a shocker, leaving many in the NFL world stunned.

Here are some of the reactions across the NFL landscape.