How did Sean Payton lose his job?
In April 2012, Payton was suspended for the entire 2012 NFL season as a result of his involvement in the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal, under which "bounties" were allegedly paid for contact that would try to injure players on opposing teams.
New Orleans wanted to accumulate draft capital, and Sean Payton wanted to coach in the NFL again. The mutual goals officially were achieved Friday, when Payton, the most successful coach in Saints history, signed his contract to become the head coach of the Denver Broncos.
After a lengthy investigation, the NFL found that Sean Payton not only knew about this but tried to hide the information from the NFL. The NFL suspended Sean Payton for the entire 2012 season for his participation in Bountygate. The whole organization was fined $500,000, and they lost several draft picks.
Back in 2012, Payton was suspended from the NFL for a year. As a result, he went to Texas to coach his son's youth football team.
The New Orleans Saints bounty scandal, colloquially known as "Bountygate," was an incident in which members of the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL) were accused of paying out bonuses, or "bounties," for injuring players on opposing teams.
Payton signed a five-year contract extension in September 2019, so the Saints hold the rights to Payton through the end of the 2024 season.
The Warriors decided against bringing Payton back this summer because of their rocketing luxury-tax bill. They prioritized Kevon Looney and let Payton walk, despite his desire to stay, once he had a three-year, $26.1 million offer from the Trail Blazers on the table. They were unwilling to get near matching it.
1 overall pick at about $66 million over a four-year rookie contract and the No. 29 pick, which Denver traded to New Orleans for Payton, at $55 million.
Payton was suspended for a year for his role in the Saints' “bountygate” scandal, although the players allegedly involved had their suspensions lifted. Commissioner Roger Goodell reinstated Payton after meeting with him Monday.
Today, Warren Sapp took to Twitter to call Jeremy Shockey out for "snitching" on the New Orleans Saints. This, of course, as NFL commissioner Roger Goodell effectively laid the hammer down on New Orleans, suspending head coach Sean Payton for the season and general manager Mickey Loomis for eight games.
What offense does Sean Payton run?
The West Coast scheme, which is still the basis for the Payton offense despite being covered in layers and layers of other ideas, is a quarterback-intensive system.
Four NFL teams have now been linked to the bounty scandal that came to light Friday after an announcement was made that the New Orleans Saints players were paid for "big hits" that took opponents out of games. Many analysts say the teams will face not only fines, but also legal action.

The Home Team movie true story reveals that New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton was suspended for the entire 2012 NFL season as a result of his part in the New Orleans Saints Bountygate scandal, which involved players allegedly being paid bounties for attempting to injure rival players on other teams.
- True - Yes, Sean Payton Really Did Coach His Son's Team. ...
- Change - Ex-Wife's Husband and Coach Troy Lambert. ...
- True - Using Simplified Saints Plays for Son's Team. ...
- Change - The Warriors Weren't As Bad As The Movie Makes Them.
Payton isn't a “free-agent” coach, per se. He stepped away from the Saints after the 2021 season on his own, as opposed to being fired. So New Orleans still has his coaching rights. It will take draft compensation from any team wanting Payton to persuade the Saints to trade him.
From 2009 – the year the Saints won the Super Bowl – to 2011, Payton's Saints were found to have placed “bounties” on opposing players, implementing a reward system for hits that caused injuries. So, what was Payton's role in the scandal?
The league handed out a $550,000 fine to the Saints after Jordan allegedly faked an injury during the team's Week 13 loss to the Tampa Buccaneers, according to Pro Football Talk. The Bengals' Jessie Bates III was also fined for his alleged fake injury during a Week 13 win over Kansas City, according to NFL Network.
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Profile summary.
Full name | Connor Payton |
---|---|
Age | 22 years old (as of 2022) |
Zodiac sign | Gemini |
Place of birth | Argyle, Texas, United States |
Current residence | Fort Worth, Texas, United States |
Sean Payton is back in the NFL. The Denver Broncos finalized a deal Tuesday to acquire their next head coach from the New Orleans Saints, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported, per sources. The team announced Payton as head coach on Feb. 3.
Payton is seeking to become the highest-paid coach in football history. It's a sizable asking price all around, but Payton possesses the leverage necessary to command such figures.
Where does Sean Payton want to coach?
Payton was suspended for the entire 2012 season for the Saints' bounty system on opposing players, becoming the first NFL head coach to be suspended for any reason. The Saints are the ninth NFL team with a vacant head coach position.
Payton was suspended for 1 year for his failure to stop the bounties, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams — who was deemed to be responsible for Bountygate — was suspended indefinitely (though this was overturned a year later), and the team was fined $500,000.
Payton's nickname of "The Glove" in reference to his defensive skills was popularized during the 1993 Western Conference Finals series against Phoenix. Since Payton's career ended in 2007, he has been mentioned among the all-time greatest point guards.
Bill Belichick, $20 million
With six Super Bowl rings and 23 years of tenure with the New England Patriots, it makes sense that Belichick is the highest-paid coach. He also makes personnel decisions for the Patriots, including the draft, free agency and trades.
Payton was suspended without pay for the 2012 season for his role in a scheme to pay players who hurt opponents and knocked them out of games, a scandal that became known as Bountygate.
Sean Payton, $18 million
NBC Sports' Peter King reported that Payton's deal with the Denver Broncos is for five years and “in the neighborhood” of $18 million per season. The Broncos are hoping he's able to turn their franchise around after a rocky first year with Russell Wilson under center.
Meting out unprecedented punishment for a crush-for-cash bounty system that targeted key opposing players, the NFL suspended New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton without pay for next season and indefinitely banned the team's former defensive coordinator, Gregg Williams.
Payton, along with assistant head coach Joe Vitt, general manager Mickey Loomis, and four players including Jonathan Vilma, was suspended after an investigation found the club had a performance pool offering cash rewards for key plays, including big hits. The player suspensions eventually were overturned.
Coach | Years | Record |
---|---|---|
Dennis Allen | 2022 | 7-10-0 |
Sean Payton | 2006-2011, 2013-2021 | 152-89-0 |
Jim Haslett | 2000-2005 | 45-51-0 |
Mike Ditka | 1997-1999 | 15-33-0 |
Who was the whistleblower for Bountygate?
New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton was shocked to learn that the NFL league office hired Mike Cerullo, the former Saints defensive assistant who served as a whistleblower during the 2012 Bountygate scandal, to a director of football administration position.
How Bountygate Was Discovered. An anonymous tip -- later revealed to be fired defensive assistant Mike Cerullo, per ESPN --led to an NFL investigation in 2010, but it wasn't until March 2012 that the league announced it obtained evidence Williams was behind the bounty system.
The New Orleans Saints were disciplined by the NFL for their participation in a bounty program during the 2009-2011 seasons.
Joe Lombardi was officially hired as the offensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos working under Sean Payton, the organization announced in a statement Friday. Lombardi, 51, has a long history of working with Payton while the two were with the Saints.
In 16 seasons with the Saints as head coach, Payton helped guide the team to three NFC Championship games (2006, 2009, and 2018), a victory in Super Bowl XLIV, and nine total playoff berths with seven division titles, making him the most successful coach in Saints franchise history.
Payton, whose 15-year tenure with the club included its only Super Bowl championship and also a one-season suspension stemming from the NFL's bounty investigation, intends to retire from coaching.
Warning: Contains Spoilers for Home TeamNetflix's sports comedy, the Home Team movie, is based on a true story, but as with all true story films, the real-life characters moved on and the movie made certain story changes to heighten theatricality and improve the narrative flow.
The film “Home Team” is inspired by the true story of former NFL coach and Super Bowl Champion Sean Payton, played by Kevin James. It's based on Payton's time coaching his son's 6th grade football team during a year-long suspension from the NFL.
While it is far from the first movie to show off its inspiration in a cameo, Home Team takes advantage of the opportunity to make a heartfelt moment even more impactful. For those who don't know that Lionel the janitor is actually Sean Payton, the interaction between the two men is a great scene on its own.
Why did Sean Payton go to the Broncos?
Denver still needed to compensate the Saints for Payton's rights, as Payton was still under contract with New Orleans. Over the course of several days of conversation between Paton and Loomis, the two teams agreed on a deal that allowed Payton to come to Denver.
According to NBC Sports' Peter King, Sean Payton's contract with the Broncos is for five years and “in the neighborhood of” $18 million a year. That number would make Payton the second-highest-paid coach in not just the NFL, but in all of American sports.
The Home Team movie true story reveals that New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton was suspended for the entire 2012 NFL season as a result of his part in the New Orleans Saints Bountygate scandal, which involved players allegedly being paid bounties for attempting to injure rival players on other teams.
Not everyone who covers the NFL was thrilled about the Denver Broncos acquiring Sean Payton's coaching rights via trade and, subsequently, hiring him.
How long is Payton still under contract with the Saints? Payton's contract expires after the 2024 season, meaning the Saints have his rights for two more seasons. Payton agreed to a five-year contract extension leading up to the 2019 season.
Sean Payton is working for Fox Sports this season after stepping down from his coaching job with the New Orleans Saints in January, but he says he's interested in returning as an NFL head coach in 2023 for the "right situation."
He said he wants to focus on his health, spend time with his kids, and that he felt like now was a good time. "Man, I felt like it was time. I kind of knew heading into training camp but I wanted to see how the season goes," Payton said. "My mom always said to leave a place better than you found it.
With six Super Bowl rings and 23 years of tenure with the New England Patriots, it makes sense that Belichick is the highest-paid coach. He also makes personnel decisions for the Patriots, including the draft, free agency and trades.