The end of the Sean Payton era in New Orleans

It’s the end of an era.
Say what you will about the golden era of New Orleans Saints football. But none of it, and I mean none of it, would have been possible without Sean Payton.
When Payton was hired in 2006, it was away from the Dallas Cowboys where he’d served as the assistant head coach to Bill Parcells and passing game coordinator.
At the time, I don’t remember it as a splashy hire. The main thing I remember was being happy that my favorite team had hired an offensive guy and moved away from the defensive tendencies of former coach Jim Haslett.
Boy, oh boy, what a ride I was in for.
It’s rare that an NFL head coach makes it beyond five years in a job. Ten years is almost unheard of.
Payton lasted 15 years in New Orleans. More impressive than that is where and how he did it.
He did it in New Orleans. Before Jim Mora and the Dome Patrol of the 1980s, it was arguably the hardest place to win in the NFL.
After Mora, it returned to its place in the doldrums. Haslett, momentarily, brought the Saints to relevancy again.
Then, Hurricane Katrina happened. The Saints had what ended up being the hardest season to endure of my young lifetime, and they moved away from Haslett.
The thing about Payton is this, at that time taking a job in New Orleans was practically a death sentence. There were no expectations of success. There weren’t even expectations.
He did so willingly. And it’s why he’s revered in this Saints fan’s heart.
What followed was the most wildly successful run in franchise history.
Even when the Saints weren’t good, they were fun. When they weren’t fun, like this past season, they were still decent and winning football games.
It’s the most fun I’ve ever had being a New Orleans Saints fan.
He brought us the most unheard of possible thing, a Lombardi Trophy. He also brought us Bountygate, and some sideways looks, but we were willing to look past the shady stuff for one reason and one alone.
He wasn’t just a shady coach. He was our shady coach.
No ifs, ands, or buts, he was our Parcells. Cut from the same cloth. Willing to do whatever it took to win football games.
He had a hand in convincing the best player the franchise will ever see to come help rebuild New Orleans in Drew Brees.
He won a lot, talked a lot of trash, and fully embraced our franchise and our state.
Whatever his next step is, I wish him utmost happiness. I wish him a stress-free next step.
Whatever his next step is, he steps away from a franchise and a fan base who are ruthlessly devoted to him.
Whatever his next step is, he will leave behind warm memories and a lot of very happy fans.
He raised the bar. He changed the culture. He made a black hole of the NFL into a destination.
Whatever his next step is, he does so with pride. And with all likelihood, a ton of heartbroken fans who know the sidelines of the Caesar’s Superdome will not be the same next season.
It takes a lot to get an emotional reaction out of me with sports anymore, having worked around it for so long. But as I type this, give or take half an hour after the news broke on Tuesday, January 25, 2022, I do so on the brink of tears.
I love what Sean Payton did for the New Orleans Saints franchise, the city of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana.
I hate that the chapter is ending, though I knew inevitably it would.
I’m heartbroken that the Saints are hiring a new coach. But I’m thrilled I got to enjoy the ride.
Whatever the next step is for Coach Payton, he can step into it with no regrets.
Thank you, Coach.