Saints Willing to Trade Sean Payton; Rams Must Make a Play

The New Orleans Saints may look to trade head coach Sean Payton during the offseason and the Los Angeles Rams should certainly be interested.

The New Orleans Saints are open to trading head coach Sean Payton during the offseason, and it’s a move the Los Angeles Rams must consider.

Citing financial reasons, CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora is reporting the Saints would be willing to deal their head coach and it wouldn’t take much to nab him, either:

"“I don’t think it would take all that much to get him, actually,” said one source with knowledge of the situation. “I don’t think [GM] Mickey [Loomis] would hold him back or ask for all that much in return at this point.”"

According to La Canfora, dealing Payton would save the Saints $40 million at a time when the franchise isn’t in the best shape financially. The potential decline of Drew Brees near the end of this season has also led to a feeling that this could get done, per the same report.

Obviously the Rams should be in on this, as long as the price isn’t too high. Thankfully from what La Canfora is reporting, it doesn’t look like it’ll take much. The Rams were cleaned out of draft picks just to get Jared Goff, so there’s a good chance Los Angeles would be hesitant to make a deal that would cost a lot more.

Rams Will Have Competition for Sean Payton

Of course, the Rams would have competition, namely from a team like the Indianapolis Colts, who already have a superstar quarterback in place like Andrew Luck. If Chuck Pagano is fired at the end of the season, you can bet your bottom dollar the Colts will make an all-in play for Payton, an offensive specialist, and he’d probably prefer Indy over any other place because of the situation there.

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However, the Rams should still make a bid and hope for the best. After all, Payton is exactly the splash the Rams are looking for to replace Jeff Fisher and Payton’s history as a Super Bowl winner is exactly what this losing franchise needs.

The Rams do have a solid defense in place, a former No. 1 overall pick quarterback who needs to be developed, and a running back who once flashed superstar potential. Payton would be just what the doctor ordered to turn the Rams around. And, because of their feud with one another, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams would have to go. A small price to pay to bring in an offensive guru like Payton.