Dallas Cowboys should contact the Saints about Sean Payton preemptively

Look, there’s no mystery the Dallas Cowboys are interested in Sean Payton as a head coach next year. Only a few years ago there was a deal on the table to bring the former Cowboys OC back to Dallas (eventually nixed by the Anthony Davis-to-Los Angeles drama). So we know the Cowboys wanted him and the Saints are aware, but both sides are willing to deal.

As many know, Sean Payton may be retired, but he’s still under contract. Even if he sits out a year, New Orleans owns his rights and has to relinquish those rights in order for him to coach elsewhere. Based on coaching moves from the past, it’s going to be a trade that involves draft picks.

2022 is shaping up to be a lame duck year for the entire Dallas organization. Dallas kicked the can on upgrades and actually stripped talent and salary from the roster rather than added. Even if they have a epic 2022 NFL Draft, making up the losses of the offseason will be impossible. It’s a simple numbers game.

The Cowboys current head coach, Mike McCarthy, is a dead man walking. One way or another he’s going to get replaced next season and everyone seems to know it. He has about as much clout as a bowl of mashed potatoes these days.

Stephen and Jerry Jones seem intent on “keeping the powder dry” for next year (to borrow a term from Mark Cuban). They seem to be focused on setting the stage for 2023, which means cleaning up contracts, shedding commitments, and creating future movement.

They seem to be gearing up for someone like Sean Payton.

If Sean Payton really is on the Dallas Cowboys wish list for next year, Dallas needs to reach out to the Saints now to set the parameters of a trade

Logic tells us the Saints practically expect it, so it’s not like Dallas will be offending them by being upfront about it. Even if Payton really is undecided about his future, finding out the asking price seems like due diligence at this point in the process.

All too often the Cowboys enter a situation expecting one thing and then getting another. They repeatedly enter situations unprepared and disillusioned. There’s no reason to let that happen here.

If the Saints say they want a 1 and 2 for their Super Bowl winning coach, the Cowboys can tell them to go kick rocks and move to Plan B (possibly Dan Quinn). They don’t have to waste their time if the asking price is too high. If a reasonable compensation is asked for, then the Cowboys can confidently move forward with their plans. It doesn’t need to be in ink right now – just test the ballpark and apply a virtual handshake.

All too often the Cowboys enter a situation expecting one thing and then getting another. Whether it’s market prices on players or terms of the deal, they repeatedly enter in unprepared and disillusioned. There’s no reason to let that happen here. Nothing is stopping them from talking to the Saints now to see if their plans are realistic.

Perhaps they already have too.

Maybe the Cowboys have already reached out to Payton and the Saints, and vaguely discussed a pending deal for next year. That would be a smart move for a team that’s clearly setting some kind of stage for 2023. But all recent history says they have not. They repeatedly get caught off guard by contracts and deals and more often than not, it burns them.

See also: Dak Prescott deal, Randy Gregory terms, DeMarcus Lawrence’s original deal , countless free agents they’ve low-balled, etc…)

We all know the Cowboys like Sean Payton. We all know Mike McCarthy’s status is tenuous at best. We all know Sean Payton likes Dallas. So why not cover our bases and discuss the parameters of a deal should the stars align in 2023 and Payton decides to coach again?

If the Cowboys haven’t contacted the Saints already, they should, because this season seems to be all about laying the groundwork for 2023 and knowing you get your targeted head coach is a pretty important step in the building of that foundation.