Swarmed by rumors that he's on his way out of New Orleans, Sean Payton insists he's going nowhere.
Echoing his comments from earlier this season, the Saints coach emphasized Wednesday that he plans to stay with the team long past this forgettable campaign.
"Well, I said this earlier in the season. ... This is my ninth year coaching here in New Orleans, and it's come up every, I'm going to say, two to three years. And I guess ... listen, it comes with the territory," Payton said. "This is where I call home. I just finished building a home here. I'm close enough to my son back in Dallas where I'm pretty much back there once a week or he's over here; my daughter is off in college now.
There's not much we can do with these comments before the offseason, which promises to be an interesting one in New Orleans.
Whispers for months have suggested that Payton could be on the move to another team -- possibly through a trade -- if the right situation becomes available.
Nothing would surprise us, including a decision from Payton to see this through in New Orleans. After all, if he's looking for a challenging rebuilding job, he's got that in spades with the Saints.