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New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton stepped down from his role on Tuesday after 16 years with the franchise. Payton issued a press conference, which was aired via ESPN, in order to discuss his decision to walk away from coaching. Well, Payton enjoyed a trip down memory lane during the press conference, and he revealed a wild tidbit about where he almost ended up before taking the Saints' gig. Payton revealed that he was honed in on landing the Packers' head coaching vacancy in 2006 before finding out Mike McCarthy had landed the role instead, via Ari Meirov.
Sean Payton says he interviewed with Green Bay for their HC job in 2006 and then went to New Orleans for that interview. The only thing he thought about was the GB job. He threw his phone when he found out Mike McCarthy got the job.
"It was the best thing that happened to me."
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 25, 2022
Payton revealed he was so mad over the McCarthy hire that he actually threw his phone when the news broke. Looking back on the situation, Payton called it “the best thing that ever happened” to him, as it led to him landing in New Orleans. While he admitted the Packers' job was the position he had truly coveted at the time, he had no regrets over how things played out.
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McCarthy ended up enjoying a 13-year run with the Packers from 2006-18 before being ousted in favor of Matt LaFleur, who is still in the role today.
Payton, on the other hand, went on to become the most celebrated coach in Saints' history, and a legend in the state of Louisiana. Payton coached the Saints for 15 seasons over the course of 16 years, amassing an impressive 152-89 record during that span. He missed the 2012 season after getting slapped with a stern suspension for his involvement in the Saints' Bountygate scandal.
It's safe to say that the Packers passing him up in favor of McCarthy paid off for both parties, though Saints fans probably feel as if they got the better end of the stick.
