The New Orleans Saints have come to terms with head coach Sean Payton on a contract extension.
Payton, 52, joined the Saints in 2006. After acquiring quarterback Drew Brees and implementing his high-flying brand of offense, Payton managed to turn the once-mocked Saints into one of the best teams in the NFL.
Payton is now set to make a little more than $45 million over the next five seasons.
Source says #Saints HC Sean Payton has agreed to 5-year contract extension worth slightly more than $45M. He was making $8.5M per year
— Ed Werder (@Edwerderespn) March 23, 2016
His prior deal paid him about $8 million per year.
During his nine seasons in New Orleans, Payton has amassed an 87-57 regular season record and a 6-4 postseason record. He's led the Saints to a playoff berth five times, emerging victorious from Super Bowl XLIV in 2009.
The Saints though, seem to be at something of a crossroads. Ownership questions continue to persist and the future of quarterback Drew Brees remains up in the air as he continues to advance in age at the same time as his cap hit - $30 million for 2016 - continues to rise.
Brees, Payton and the rest of the New Orleans team suffered through an incredibly frustrating season in 2015, putting together a 7-9 campaign that was affected greatly by a variety of injuries to the aging Brees.
Brees played through it all, completing 428 passes for 4,870 yards, 32 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. But the Saints, dealing with the aftermath of defensive coordinator Rob Ryan's atrocious scheme, remained a highly flawed team that lacked the ability to score as consistently as they had in the past and, in turn, stop the other team from scoring on them.
The low point for the 2015 Saints was likely a game against the Washington Redskins, wherein Skins quarterback Kirk Cousins absolutely eviscerated the New Orleans defense to the tune of 20 completions on just 25 attempts for 324 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Payton, still the man in charge in New Orleans, has plenty of work ahead of him to return to the Saints to their once-prominent form. It won't be easy, especially with the ownership questions swirling, but at least Saints fans know they have a steady, capable hand at the tiller for the next half a decade.
