Sean Payton, Rams have mutual interest, trade is up to Saints

If Sean Payton and the Los Angeles Rams have their way, he’ll be the next head coach of the NFL’s hottest job.

Of course, Payton still coaches the New Orleans Saints as of this writing. Per a report by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, though, it is now up to the Saints to make the trade happen:

Multiple sources say there is mutual interest between the current Saints coach and the Rams organization. The ball is now in Saints GM Mickey Loomis’ court. If he decides he’s willing to part with Payton for moderate compensation, Payton would be the clear front-runner to take over for the job opening created by the firing of Jeff Fisher.

Sources also say the Saints are tiring of Payton’s open flirtation with jobs and might be ready to end the era and move on as the team’s rebuild is almost complete.

Truthfully, it is clear the Payton-Saints marriage has overstayed its term. The two were great together and Payton has worked wonders for the team and city, but the rebuild hasn’t been kind to either party.

Payton starting over with the Rams makes plenty of sense. It’s a huge city and he has cornerstones such as Todd Gurley and Aaron Donald to work with, not to mention a developmental quarterback in Jared Goff.

For the Saints, getting something in return for Payton’s departure and not allowing his sticking around to hamper a rebuild is nothing short of a good thing as the team heads into one of the league’s most significant rebuilding projects.