Sean Payton is enjoying his time away from coaching after being the head coach of the New Orleans Saints from 2006-2021. Payton has made it clear that he wants to return to coaching again. And there is one quarterback he’d love to team up with if he had his way.
Payton joined ESPN2’s Manningcast version of “Monday Night Football” for the Week 9 matchup between his former team the Saints and the Baltimore Ravens. Lamar Jackson was playing well, and the Mannings noted how Payton was a big Jackson fan going back to when the quarterback left Louisville for the NFL Draft.
Peyton asked Payton what stands out to him about Jackson.
“The number one thing is I have the chance to be a free agent. He has a chance to be a free agent. I would say that first,” Payton joked. “But on a serious note, I think we’ve seen him get the ball down the field … man, he’s explosive. I think he’s become a better down-the-field thrower … the late nights that this guy … he drives you crazy trying to come up with a defensive scheme to plan for.”
Jackson and the Ravens did not reach an agreement on a contract extension prior to the season, which is why Jackson will become a free agent. The Ravens don’t want to lose Jackson, but the amount of guaranteed money is a sticking point in his contract talks.
We’ve already seen Payton work behind-the-scenes to try and pair with Tom Brady. If another team was set to make a run at Jackson, Payton would love to be involved somehow as a coach-QB pairing.
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