Despite rumors to the contrary, one source tells ESPN.com’s Mike Triplett there is no indication the Saints are more willing to part ways with Sean Payton now than they were in the past. That same source also refuted the notion that morale is low in New Orleans because of speculation over Payton’s future. Regardless, you can expect the Payton buzz to continue for a while. There’s now talk that Payton has “sincere interest” in the Rams’ opening.
- Sean Payton could have been the Colts coach this season, reports Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (via Twitter). Ultimately, the current Saints head coach didn’t want to take a pay cut from $10MM per year to $8MM per year.
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Another day, another big name being mentioned as a potential candidate for the Rams’ head coach opening. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports that Saints head coach Sean Payton is monitoring the Rams’ vacancy with “sincere interest.” The reporter clarifies that a potential Rams/Saints trade is neither “imminent” nor “likely,” but a deal is “possible.” For the Rams to pull off such a move, Payton would have to be the organization’s “overwhelming No. 1” favorite for the position.
As Rapoport writes, Payton has openly expressed interest in coaching on the West Coast, especially since his daughter lives in California. The head coach had previously shown some interst in the former 49ers and Chargers openings. Payton ultimately signed a five-year extension with the Saints that will pay him around $10MM a year. After he announced the new contract, Payton said that he couldn’t envision himself coaching elsewhere.
Of course, the extension doesn’t mean that Payton is guaranteed to stick around New Orleans. The 52-year-old hasn’t led the Saints to the playoffs since 2013, and Rapoport reports that some within the organization are starting to tire of Payton’s unwillingness to commit to his current gig longterm. In fact, we heard last week that the Saints could look to trade their long-time coach. If the coach decides that he wants out of New Orleans, the front office won’t hold him “hostage,” according to Rapoport.
Payton does have an impressive head coaching record of 92-64 during his 11 seasons in New Orleans (he was suspended for the 2012 campaign), and he led the team to a Super Bowl championship in 2009.
Despite the Payton news, Rapoport tweets that the Rams aren’t necessarily looking to “make a splash” with the hiring. The last time they hired a big-
name coach, they signed Jeff Fisher… and we all know how that turned out.
Meanwhile, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter echoes that the Rams aren’t necessarily looking at high-profile names for their head coaching vacancy. According to the report, the Rams are eyeing Dolphins defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, Bills offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn,
Patriots offensive coordinators Josh McDaniels, and Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. We learned earlier this week that the Rams (along with the Jaguars) would have interest in Shanahan.
Rapoport throws another name into the ring (via Twitter): Panthers coach Ron Rivera. The writer notes that Rivera would be a natural fit considering the Rams’ young roster and Los Angeles’ Hispanic population. Of course, Rapoport admits that a Rams/Panthers trade would be rather complicated to pull off.
Other names that have been mentioned for the opening are Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh and ESPN analyst Jon Gruden. Both of those potential candidates denied having any interest in the gig.
An injury-marred season will end early for Delvin Breaux, whom the Saints placed on IR in advance of their Week 16 game against the Buccaneers, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets.
The Saints claimed safety Robenson Therezie off waivers from the Falcons to take Breaux’s roster spot.
Lost to a broken fibula in Week 1, Breaux returned to play in five more games for New Orleans this season, serving as their top cornerback. However, the former CFL standout suffered a shoulder injury earlier this month and hasn’t played since Week 14. Breaux finished the season with 21 tackles and a pass deflection.
This season proved to be a step back for the ascending corner who proved he could be a quality stopper in the NFL in 2015. Breaux is under contract for one more season in New Orleans at $619K. The Saints have started B.W. Webb in his place and figure to do so again against the Bucs on Saturday.
Therezie broke into the NFL as a UDFA in Atlanta in 2015 and has played in 25 games thus far through two years, making two starts in that span. The former Auburn performer played in 12 games for the Falcons this season before being sent to waivers, being used mostly on special teams.
With just two weeks to go, the NFL playoff picture is starting to get clearer. The Cowboys, Seahawks, Patriots, and Raiders have already punched their playoff tickets while the Chiefs, Steelers, Falcons, and Giants are considered near locks by the forecasts at Five Thirty Eight.
Here’s a look at where the draft order stands for the teams not currently slated to make the cut (Note: Ties are broken by strength of schedule):
1. Browns 0-14
2. 49ers 1-13
3. Jaguars 2-12
4. Bears 3-11
5. Jets 4-10
6. Rams (pick belongs to Titans) 4-10
7. Eagles (pick belongs to Browns) 5-9
8. Chargers 5-9
9. Cardinals 5-8-1
10. Bengals 5-8-1
11. Panthers 6-8
12. Saints 6-8
13. Bills 7-7
14. Colts 7-7
15. Vikings (pick belongs to Eagles) 7-7
16. Redskins 7-6-1
17. Titans 8-6
17. Ravens 8-6 (Note: The Titans and Ravens are currently knotted up in terms of both record and strength of schedule. In all statistical likelihood, the SOS logjam will be broken by the end of the season.)
19. Texans 8-6
20. Buccaneers 8-6
The Saints have placed linebacker Stephone Anthony on injured reserve with a knee injury. The move will create a spot for wide receiver Corey Fuller, who was promoted from the practice squad on Monday. 
[RELATED: Saints Could Look To Trade Sean Payton]
Anthony was widely graded as a second round talent in 2015, but the Saints took him late in the first round after he impressed in workouts. Unfortunately, he hasn’t rewarded the Saints’ faith in him over the last two years. This year, the Saints hoped to jumpstart Anthony by moving him from middle linebacker to strongside, but he didn’t do much in his limited time on the field. He recently had an opportunity for playing time when was hurt, but he was unable to capitalize as Sean Payton chastised him for his issues with playbook retention.
At 6-8, the Saints are not technically out of the playoff picture, but they have less than a 1% chance of making the postseason.
- The Saints have signed wide receiver Corey Fuller off the Lions‘ practice squad, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link). Fuller appeared in 28 games with Detroit from 2014-15.
One of the biggest storylines of the past several seasons was the rumor that Saints head coach Sean Payton could be on his way out of New Orleans, possibly via trade. Those rumors were immediately quieted when Payton signed a five-year extension this March that keeps him under club control through the 2020 campaign.
The Saints have shown flashes of improvement this year, but they now sit at 5-8 and are well out of the playoff picture. That reality, coupled with very public ownership issues and the sudden decline of Drew Brees over the past few weeks, has led to renewed trade rumors regarding Payton. According to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, citing league sources, the Saints would consider dealing Payton after the season, and they would not require especially hefty compensation to move him.
As La Canfora writes, “Moving Payton’s contract would free up about $40MM at a time when owner Tom Benson‘s health and the future of ownership is in question, and that money, along with the $25MM in cash/cap savings that would occur whenever Brees departs, would go a long way to providing an influx of means to rebuild this team.”
The 38-year-old Brees has one year left on his contract, but it could be difficult to work out another one-year extension given his recent struggles. After a terrific start to the 2016 campaign, Brees has thrown nine touchdowns to nine interceptions in New Orleans’ last five games, four of them losses. The franchise may feel that it is time to move on from their two former saviors, adding much-needed draft picks and cash flow in the process.
Despite the fact that the Saints have not posted a winning record since 2013, Payton’s stock as a head coach has not fallen very much, if at all. Any team that acquires him would rightfully view the move as a major success, particularly if, as La Canfora suggests, that team does not have to give up much to get him. The Colts, Rams, and Chargers are all possible landing spots for Payton, who is a California native and for whom a California coaching job could have particular appeal.
The Saints have placed left tackle Terron Armstead on injured reserve, according to Nick Underhill of the New Orleans Advocate. To take Armstead’s roster spot, the club signed linebacker Jason Trusnik.
Armstead inked a five-year, $64.5MM extension with the Saints last May, but knee and quad injuries limited him to just seven appearances this season. The 25-year-old was once again a bright spot for the Saints when on the field, as he’s currently Pro Football Focus’ 15th-ranked tackle out of 78 qualifiers. Armstead will ultimately miss nine games this year, running his career total up to 25 in four seasons.
The 32-year-old Trusnik hasn’t played this season, though he previously garnered vast experience as primarily a reserve with the Jets, Dolphins, Browns and Vikings from 2007-15. Trusnik has 117 appearances and 25 starts on his NFL résumé.
It’s now 2017 or bust for the Saints‘ power trio of Drew Brees, coach Sean Payton, and GM Mickey Loomis, ESPN.com’s Mike Triplett opines. The Saints have shown gradual improvement over the past two years, but they’re now on pace for their third straight losing season and patience is wearing thin amongst fans. With Drew Brees signed to a one-year extension through 2017 that will really hamper them in ’18, the Saints are poised to go “all-in” next year, but they’ll have to get things right in free agency. In recent years, high-priced additions like safety Jairus Byrd, cornerback Brandon Browner, running back C.J. Spiller, tight end Coby Fleener, and linebacker James Laurinaitis have flopped.
- Offensive lineman Avery Young‘s practice window has expired, meaning the Saints will not be able to activate him from the non-football injury list for the remainder of the season, reports Nick Underhill of the Advocate (Twitter link). As Underhill tweeted last week, New Orleans has agreed to pay Young $10K per week while he’s on NFI. Technically, clubs are not required to compensate players on NFI, but most teams work out deals to pay sidelined players at a lower rate.