The Saints Era Officially Over: Payton to Lead Broncos

It's kind of a sad day for those of us who were holding on to the smallest of unrealistic hopes that Sean Payton would change his mind and come back to coach our beloved Saints. But talking about a pipe-dream...

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Payton came to New Orleans in 2006 replacing Jim Haslett. He went on to win Coach of the Year in 2006. Payton's legacy was cemented in New Orleans lore when he convinced a young Drew Brees to choose New Orleans over the then Nick Saban led Miami Dolphins. And the rest, as they say, is history.

You'll need a protracter and a graph chart to make sense of the wheeling and dealing that sent Payton to the Broncos, but the good news is, the Saints now get a first round pick in the 2023 NFL draft, as well as a 2nd round pick in 2024. ESPN reported Mickey Loomis said:

"I've never counted on getting anything for Sean because he might decide to do the media deal for five years, who knows? So, we weren't spending draft capital going forward hoping we might get something if he decides to coach again," Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said after the season.

Every New Orleans Saints Starting QB Since 2000

This list counts only regular season starts for quarterbacks of the New Orleans Saints since the year 2000. Though in that time, there have only been two quarterbacks to start playoff games for the Saints. Aaron Brooks and Drew Brees.