Sean Payton, Saints can negotiate new contract extension

Payton spoke with the media on Wednesday, and was adamant that he had no intention to ever leave the Saints. The speculation surrounding opportunities elsewhere were just that, as the voided contract wasn’t going to change his mind, according to CBS Sports:

New Orleans struggled out of the gate in 2012 without its head coach, losing its first four games. The Saints eventually recovered, taking seven of their last 12, but it certainly wasn’t the same without Payton. Saints blog Canal Street Chronicles detailed just how excited the players and fans were to have their Super Bowl-winning leader back in action.

The reinstatement ends a season-long suspension for his alleged involvement in the Saints bounty scandal. The suspension was scheduled to run through the 2013 Super Bowl, but it was ended two weeks early courtesy of Goodell.

Goodell said Payton “pledged to uphold the highest standards of the NFL” during a meeting Monday, according to the league’s official news release:

Payton is serving a season-long suspension for his alleged role in the Saints’ bounty scandal, and that suspension runs through the 2013 Super Bowl. In addition to suspending Payton, the NFL also voided a contract extension that would have kept him in New Orleans through 2015. But now it appears the Saints and Payton have agreed to a new extension that will end the uncertainty over the franchise’s head coaching situation heading into the 2013 season.

Payton is 62-34 over six seasons as New Orleans’ head coach, and he led the Saints to a win in Super Bowl XLIV. New Orleans won at least 11 games in each season from 2009 to 2011. The Saints are 7-8 this season under interim head coach Joe Vitt.

Sean Payton’s contract extension with the New Orleans Saints was voided by the NFL, Adam Schefter of ESPN reported on Sunday morning. It is not clear whether or not the voided deal makes Payton free to ply his trade outside of the Crescent City in 2013 or not, however. And how that issue will be resolved is even less clear.

The quirk rests with a rule that pushes contracts back a year because of a suspension. Payton is in the cooler for the year in the wake of the bounty scandal. The league reportedly took exception to language that lets Payton out of his contract if GM Mickey Loomis is suspended, which he was.

Payton’s statement to Glazer came after the NFL voided his contract extension that would have kept him in New Orleans through 2015. Without an extension. Payton is a free agent heading into the off-season.

The Saints opened the season with four straight losses and are 2-5 after eight weeks without Payton. Payton is currently serving a one-year suspension after an NFL investigation revealed that New Orleans had a bounty system in place for opposing players.

The issue with Payton’s contract extension was language that the league said would have set a bad precedent for other coaching contracts. There was a specific clause that would have allowed Payton to walk away from the deal if general manager Mickey Loomis was suspended, fired or left the New Orleans organization, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Payton was suspended by the league for the entire 2012 season after a bounty scandal. The Saints are 2-5 this season.