Sean Payton has reportedly settled on his new gig after stepping down as coach of the New Orleans Saints. Payton will be a studio analyst for FOX’s NFL coverage, according to a report by Andrew Marchand of the New York Post. The deal, which is not yet completed, would have Payton on the “FOX NFL Kickoff” morning show and contributing to “FOX NFL Sunday,” the network’s pregame show.
Last week, at the Zurich Classic Celebrity Shootout golf tournament, Payton acknowledged he would likely be working a media gig for the 2022 NFL season.
When asked if a job was materializing, Payton told The Athletic’s Katherine Terrell, “I think so, I just don’t want to be the one that puts my foot in my mouth before the company does. But it is. Soon. Probably a studio job.”
Payton, 58, was with the Saints from 2006-to-2021. He has left the door open to a potential return to coaching in the future, saying he doesn’t like the word retirement.
FOX saw its top broadcast team of Troy Aikman and Joe Buck leave for ESPN’s “Monday Night Football.” Marchand reports that FOX and Payton have not discussed the former coach being a game analyst, only studio positions.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
