Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
The New Orleans Saints made it official this week when they signed Sean Payton to a five-year contract extension. Payton signed the deal this week and the Saints will have him locked up through 2017. The deal will reportedly pay Payton more than $8 million a year and that would be enough to make him the highest paid coach in the NFL.
The Saints evidently missed Payton this past season as they finished with a 7-9 record and missed the playoffs. Having Payton back at the helm should really help the Saints bounce back from their bounty-tainted season. Payton is very eager to get back to work but he cannot officially return to the team until after the Super Bowl.
If Payton did not re-sign with the Saints he would have been the most coveted coaching candidate on the market and he likely would have gotten a big pay day from any team. However, Saints owner, Tom Benson, wasted no time in securing Payton and was not afraid to make Payton the highest paid coach.
Benson is definitely willing to spend money on what he wants. In the past off-season Benson made Drew Brees the highest paid player in the NFL when he signed him to a five-year $100 million contract. Now the Saints have the highest paid player and coach in the league.
Benson and the Saints are hoping the combination of Brees and Payton can return them to their glory days as the player and brought New Orleans its first ever Super Bowl back in 2009. With Payton back the Saints should have a much better season than 2012. Payton is one of the best coaches in the NFL and next season he will remind everyone why that is.
Alejandro Aviles is the Featured Writer for the New Orleans Saints at Rant Sports @aaviles312
