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Many would agree that in some offseasons, Sean Payton nearly landing with the Dallas Cowboys would have been one of the biggest highlights. However, in one of the most turnover-heavy offseasons in recent memory, the head coach's near unretirement was largely swept under the rug.
One NFL analyst did not forget and has pegged the idea as a potential returning conversation later this year. Speaking on Chris Simms Unbuttoned, the show host called the possibility "almost guaranteed."
Simms said:
“I would bet it's almost guaranteed here. It's on my radar. I mean, no doubt about it. I'm going to be looking at the Cowboys. We're gonna hear Sean Payton and the Cowboys in December. Whether that happens or not, I don't know. But that's gonna be part of the conversation. Florio knows there was a deal to get Sean Payton to the Cowboys a few years ago.”
Payton and the Dallas Cowboys have been an ongoing subject of discussion this offseason. According to Simms, 2022 was just one flashpoint. Based on the timeline presented by Simms, the timing of the last deal lines up to be close to the lame-duck Jason Garrett year(s) and the start of the Mike McCarthy era.
The Sean Payton-Drew Brees partnership
Sean Payton and Drew Brees were tied at the hip in New Orleans. Few think of one without the other. With the head coach now retired just one season after Brees' exit, most NFL fans believe the two events are not unrelated. The head coach had Drew Brees for more than a decade, and the prospect of starting over with a new signal-caller was too much to bear.
Of course, he gave it a try in 2021 but fought tooth and nail and earned just a 9-8 record to show for it. This indicates that the head coach was initially optimistic about entering a post-Brees world, got a taste of it in 2021, and changed his mind.
A return to the NFL with the Cowboys would dispel this theory. Some would say that this meant he only wanted a smooth way to get away from the New Orleans Saints, who had dug themselves a financial and talent hole to win now in the final years of Brees' career.
Either way, the Cowboys, the former Saints head coach, and NFL fans can only wait and see how the 2022 season plays out before getting a potential resolution.
