Following an ESPN report that TV networks are showing interest in current NFL coaches Sean Payton, Pete Carroll, and Sean McVay as potential broadcasters, some more specific information is coming to light.
Front Office Sports’ Michael McCarthy reports that Fox Sports is looking at Payton as a possible replacement for Troy Aikman on its No. 1 NFL broadcast team alongside play-by-play announcer Joe Buck.
Aikman is being targeted by Amazon for its Thursday Night Football game broadcasts. In December, he acknowledged that his representatives have had discussions with Amazon regarding the position. It’s believed that Al Michaels will be the play-by-play man for that crew.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Payton still has three years (and nearly $30 million) remaining on his contract as head coach of the New Orleans Saints. But he hasn’t yet committed to returning for the 2022 season.
Rapoport’s sources told him that Payton, 58, could take a year off from coaching, recharge, then return to lead another team. (Maybe the Dallas Cowboys?) Others, such as Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians, have temporarily gone into broadcasting before coaching again. But if Fox wanted to add Payton to its top NFL broadcast team, it’s highly likely that the network would want more than a one-season commitment for the job.
The interest in Payton as Buck’s broadcast partner seems a bit surprising. Greg Olsen was highly regarded in his first full season in the booth and it’s believed that he’s viewed as a possible top analyst for the network in the future.
But networks are also in the business of making headlines these days, as the pursuit of Peyton Manning and Drew Brees has demonstrated. Philip Rivers is another former NFL quarterback who many believe has a strong broadcasting future. Hiring Sean Payton from the sidelines would get attention, while promoting Olsen wouldn’t draw the same intrigue.
As McCarthy points out, Fox has shown interest in Payton before, checking in with him while he was suspended for the 2012 NFL season for his involvement in the Saints’ “Bountygate” scandal. And if Fox hired him as its top NFL analyst, the network could offer money similar to what he makes as a head coach. Payton reportedly earns a $9.8 million annual salary on his current contract, while Fox is believed to pay Aikman $8 million per season.
Ian Casselberry is a sports media columnist for BSM. He has previously written and edited for Awful Announcing, The Comeback, Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, MLive, Bleacher Report, and SB Nation. You can find him on Twitter @iancass or reach him by email at iancass@gmail.com.
