Former Saints HC Sean Payton: Cowboys will beat Bucs in Week 1

“I think Dallas' defense is improved again. I think Dan (Quinn) does a great job. Those guys play with great speed to the football, they'll turn it over,” Payton said. Quinn is the Cowboys' defensive coordinator.

Payton’s Cowboys ties run deep. He was the quarterbacks coach and an assistant head coach under Pro Hall of Famer Bill Parcells in Dallas for two seasons before taking the Saints' job in 2006. 

Payton, who won a Super Bowl in New Orleans, has frequently been linked to the Cowboys' head coaching position. 

In July, a source close to Payton told the Miami Herald that the Cowboys are “among the teams that would interest” Payton if he decided to return to the NFL as a head coach. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones tried to shut down that speculation. 

“Sean Payton shouldn’t be out there as a topic of discussion. That’s an injustice for him, the Cowboys, all of us,” Jones said, per Jon Machota of The Athletic. “Mike (McCarthy) has got an opportunity here to win a Super Bowl.” 

McCarthy is on the hot seat because he hasn’t won a playoff game with the Cowboys. Dallas' early schedule is brutal. Besides NFC power Tampa Bay, the Cowboys face AFC champion Cincinnati in Week 2 and the Super Bowl champion Rams in Week 5.