With New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton stepping down after 16 seasons at the helm, rumors have swirled about Payton returning to Dallas to lead the Cowboys. Payton was the assistant head coach and QB coach for the Cowboys from 2003 to 2005 under two-time Super Bowl winning-and Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells. Payton played a very significant role in the development of quarterback Tony Romo.
NFL reporter and “Get Up” panelist Kimberley Martin says her league moles tell her its more than a rumor.
“When I talked to people yesterday about Sean Payton and the Cowboys”, said Martin on Wednesday’s episode of “Get Up” with Mike Greenberg and Domonique Foxworth, “I was immediately told, ‘Oh he’s definitely going to end up in Dallas.’ League people believe he will definitely end up in Dallas. It’s a matter of when, not if.”
Payton didn’t rule out a return to coaching in the future and even before he officially hung it up in the bayou, there were strong rumors that Dallas would attempt to make a trade to retain the innovative coach’s services.
There are obstacles to any team trying to sign Payton, who has three years left on his contract with the Saints. The franchise will maintain his rights if he returns to coaching, so some type of trade will still have to be worked out if Payton wants to switch teams in the middle of his contract.
No one is talking about how thoroughly disrespectful this is to Mike McCarthy who’s coming off a 12-win season and a division championship, but he’s obviously the scapegoat in a season that the Dallas Cowboys fans and organization see as a failure. Now he has Payton waiting in the wings to pounce on his job.
Martin says that’s just how the game is played. Everybody knows a dead man walking when they see one.
“Regardless of the Sean Payton of it all.” Martin said, “Mike McCarthy was going to enter next season looking over his shoulder. Even if Jerry said he’s our coach, he’s my guy every week …wouldn’t we question it anyway depending on how this team does? And that’s the problem with these two seasons … being a complete disappointment. So regardless of Sean Payton, that’s the issue.”
Now, before you go and say why should you question Martin’s sources, keep in mind she has bold takes, but she also has the experience to back them up.
Martin joined ESPN from Yahoo Sports, where she was a senior NFL writer since 2018. She co-hosted an all-female weekly soccer show, served as analyst on “Cover 3,” held numerous on-camera sit-downs with league executives and players, wrote columns, features, and profiles.
Before working on Yahoo, Martin had a tenure with The Washington Post (2017-18). The Brooklyn-born sports boss has run the gamut of jobs in journalism, also working as a reporter for The Buffalo News in 2017 and a New York Jets beat reporter for Newsday (2012-17). Martin’s been on the grind, covering a wide range of sports, including MLB and NASCAR. Her daily, colorful commentary on ESPN speaks for itself.
Martin’s co-host Domonique Foxworth didn’t find Martin’s revelation that shocking. As he pointed out, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is very savvy at handling the media. He’s one of the best in the business in promoting his brand and manipulating the board to get what he wants. Therefore, if these Sean Payton rumors are bubbling at high temperatures, then the information is probably being leaked from within. Could all be Jerry’s master plan.
Is Jerry Jones going to go full court press on acquiring Sean Payton? What happens to Mike McCarthy, who up until recently has continuously been given the seal of approval from Jones?
According to Martin, the deal is done. We’ll see how this plays out.
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