NEW ORLEANS — Former Saints coach Sean Payton is likely headed to Denver.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Saints and Broncos are finalizing the compensation New Orleans would get in return for trading their Super Bowl-winning coach to Denver.
New Orleans Football's Nick Underhill later said the deal is done and includes a 2023 first round pick from Denver and future assets.
Schefter says that two possible deals are in play.
One nets the Saints a 2023 first-round pick and a 2024 second-round pick in return for Payton and the Saints 2024 third-round pick.
The other gets the Saints Denver's 2024 first-round pick and their 2023 fourth-round pick.
Sean Payton has been connected to the Broncos, Cardinals, Texans and Panthers since the NFL regular season ended.
Payton strongly hinted that the Broncos were in play with a Tweet on Jan. 26 where he disagreed with a poster who said that his visit with the Broncos hadn't gone well.
The Broncos are one of the few Payton suitors that know who their starting quarterback will be at the start of next season. In his first year in Denver, Russell Wilson had the worst year of his career. Wilson reportedly reached out to Payton and wants him as a coach.
Payton won the NFC South seven times with the Saints and the Super Bowl in the 2009 season, amassing a 152-89 record.
He stepped down after the 2021 NFL season, but the Saints have him under contract until 2024, meaning any team that would hire him before then will have to make a trade with New Orleans.
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