Sean Payton (58) announced on Tuesday that he was stepping down as New Orleans Saints coach after 16 seasons at the helm of the Louisiana franchise. He had guided the Saints to their first (and so far only) Super Bowl victory in February 2010 against the Indianapolis Colts (31-17).
In 2006, for his first season in the NFL as head coach, Payton was voted best coach of the year. He had taken New Orleans to the conference final, whereas a year earlier, the team had won only three matches.
His career with the Saints was also marked by a year of suspension, in 2012. Sean Payton was convicted of offering bonuses to his defenders if they injured or knocked out an opposing player.
This season, he allowed New Orleans to stay in the running for the play-offs (finally missed) until the last day, despite a workforce hard hit by injuries and the Covid-19. The Saints thus needed to use four different quarterbacks.
