Head Coach Sean Payton Doesn’t Want To Leave New Orleans Saints

New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton watches his team during a NFL training camp in Metairie, Louisiana July 26, 2013. Reuters/Sean Gardner

With the New Orleans Saints struggling in the early part of the 2015 NFL regular season, rumors are abound that other NFL teams are interested in head coach Sean Payton if he becomes available after the season. However, the veteran mentor stated in a recent interview that he is happy in New Orleans and plans to stay with the Saints.

"I don't know what else to say. I love it here. I'm close to my children. I just built a brand new place here. You get tired of answering the questions and yet I understand you asking, and I'll say what I said before. This is where I see myself, and I've said that now for however many years," Payton to Katherine Terrel of Times Picayune.

Payton added that as a team, they try to ignore the rumors and "dismiss it," adding that his players aren't distracted by those talks.

Among the teams reportedly interested in Payton, if he leaves New Orleans, are the Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts. He’s also been linked in a move to the Dallas Cowboys in previous years.

The 51-year-old Payton is a former NFL player that has coached multiple teams at the college and pro levels in various capacities since 1988. He moved up to the head coaching position for the Saints in 2006 and has been with the New Orleans franchise since.

Payton has led the Saints to one NFL championship winning Super Bowl XLIV against the Indianapolis Colts, 31-17 in 2009.

Through five games in the 2015 NFL regular season, the Saints have just one win in five games. They started the season with losses to the Arizona Cardinals (31-19), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (26-19) and Carolina Panthers (27-22) before winning against the Dallas Cowboys (26-20). They lost their last game against the Philadelphia Eagles via a 39-17 blowout.

The Saints, who are currently on a semi-rebuild mode, finished last season with a 7-9 win-loss record and missed the playoffs. For his career as Saints head coach, Payton has accumulated 81 wins against 50 losses in the regular season and 6 wins against 4 losses in the postseason.