Sean Payton announced that he is stepping away as the Saints head coach at a Tuesday afternoon press conference where he waxed poetic and talked about his fond memories of being the coach here and admittedly fought back tears.

“I Googled about how not to cry during a press conference,” he said. “It was drink a lot of water (Payton paused the presser several times to take a swig of water) and yawn. I’ve tried not to yawn.”

There had been widespread speculation that Payton may not be returning to the Saints and of what his future would be.

“I don’t know what’s next,” said Payton. “That might be coaching at some point, but probably not this year. That’s not where my heart is… I don’t know what’s next and it kind of feels good.”

“It is my understanding that it won’t be to take another job in the NFL,” said WWL-TV Sports Director Doug Mouton. “This was the greatest era of Saints football.”

Mouton said that Payton wanted time away after a very tough 2021 season that saw him play his first season without future Hall-of-Famer Drew Brees and suffer an incredible amount of injuries that caused the team to play at a weakened status most of the season.

“The golden era of Saints football is not over,” said Mouton, who added that only the Kansas City Chiefs have won more games in the past five years.

Speculation on a replacement for Payton will center on defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, who manned the sideline when Payton was out for a game due to COVID protocols and who is largely credited with the team’s defensive surge the past few years.

Allen was set to interview for some head coaching jobs and perhaps the Saints sensed some urgency in not letting Allen get away if Payton decided not to return.

“This is a franchise-altering day for the Saints,” said Underhill, who said that Payton would be a hot commodity by broadcast networks if he wants to move to the broadcast booth.

Sean Payton came to the New Orleans Saints in 2006, one year after Hurricane Katrina had waylaid the city and forced its professional football team to play all of its home games away from New Orleans.

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