San Francisco
Sean Payton, head coach, New Orleans
Payton and Saints GM Mickey Loomis were in meetings for hours in New Orleans on Monday. How it turns out, I don’t know. I do know that many around Payton think he’s ready to go—not that he’ll be miserable if nothing can be worked out with another team and he has to stay (he’s under contract with the Saints for two more seasons). But he understands that the defense can’t be built back up in a day, and he understands that if Drew Brees doesn’t take some sort of contract modification to lower his $30-million cap number for 2016, the Saints might have a different quarterback this fall. So it may be time to get out while the getting’s good. The Niners will have about 12 draft choices in 2016, with at least $52 million to spend under the 2016 salary cap. And they have the seventh pick in the first round, good for Payton to go find his new quarterback. All in all, there’s a lot about this job for Payton to like—and it would solve a major credibility problem for the embattled Niners czar, Jed York
Via peter king