NFL Rumors: Price to Acquire New Orleans Saints' Sean Payton Revealed

The highest profile coach available this hiring cycle won't come cheap. According to NOLA.com's Jeff Duncan, former New Orleans Saints' head coach is expected to command a yearly salary of $20-$25 million.

My column on the most high-profile transaction of the NFL offseason, with two longtime friends on opposite sides of the poker table....

Jeff Duncan: Can the Sean Payton sweepstakes end with a win-win? We'll soon find out. https://t.co/SKek52FTAo via @nolanews
— Jeff Duncan (@JeffDuncan_) January 19, 2023

Duncan also posits that the Saints will demand two first-round picks in exchange for Payton, similar to the haul the Oakland Raiders received in exchange for Jon Gruden back in the day. When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers snatched Jon Gruden from the Raiders in 2002, they gave up two first-round and two second-round picks.

Coaching salaries aren't commonly reported, but $20-$25 million per year would place Payton among the highest-compensated coaches in the league. New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is currently thought to be the highest-paid coach in America with an annual average of $20 million per year. Payton doesn't quite have Belichick's resume, but he may be the next most accomplished coach in the league. Payton led the Saints to their most glorious period in franchise history, bringing them 10 winning seasons, nine top-five scoring offenses, and a Super Bowl victory following the 2009 season.

Whatever the price ends up being, whoever acquires Payton will pay through the nose. He has already been linked to the Arizona Cardinals, Denver Broncos, and the Carolina Panthers.