Jerry Jones provides definitive answer regarding Sean Payton's odds of becoming next Cowboys HC

Sean Payton has been out of work since leaving the New Orleans Saints at the end of the 2021 season. While the Super Bowl winning coach is still a hot commodity, there is a slight snag in the fact that the Saints still own his contractual rights, and future appointments may require some form of compensation to be paid.

That certainly didn't put off the Miami Dolphins. If rumors are to be believed, they tried to make Payton the highest coach in NFL history with a 5-year deal worth $100 million. But Brian Flores' lawsuit and Tom Brady's failure to secure a clean exit from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, scuppered any potential deal.

But when the coaching merry-go-round starts spinning again, Payton will be the most eligible prospect on the market. One team who seems to be constantly linked with him are the Dallas Cowboys.

Owner Jerry Jones took questions at a recent media session for the 2026 World Cup, and the former Saint was soon the subject of discussion.

Jones had the following to say:

"Sean Payton shouldn't be out there. For him, the Cowboys, that's just sheer out of the air. It's well known we're good friends and we think a lot of him as a head coach."

Unsurprisingly, Jones did not want to get caught up in any unnecessary drama, quickly returning the focus to Mike McCarthy and what he expects this season:

"But in this case, asking the way you're asking, he shouldn't be a conversation piece. Mike has got an opportunity here to win a Super Bowl. That's really the measurement that I look at. But it's also an eternity between right now and next year."

Sean Payton, Super Bowls and scandals

When he took the reigns in New Orleans, he accepted responsibility not only for turning around the fortunes of a struggling franchise, but for helping to rebuild a community still reeling in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Having just come off a 3-13 season, he soon had the Saints as a perrenial playoff team, with the help of 2006 free agent signing Drew Brees. Together, they achieved their greatest milestone, with an emotional victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV.

Payton's tenure with the Saints was not without controversy as he found himself suspended from the league for a year in 2012. He was accused of being complicit in a bounty scheme along with DC Greg Williams, where players were offered financial rewards for injuring opposition players.

While on his enforced absence from the league, he would act as offensive coordinator for his son's high school team, the Liberty Christian Warriors. This was later subject of a movie starring Kevin James playing the part of Payton.

Whether the coach one day signs for the Cowboys depends on a myriad of factors. We will have to wait and see what happens with the passing of time.