Sean Payton called it a day as head coach of the New Orleans Saints on Tuesday, bidding the NFL franchise an emotional farewell after 15 seasons in charge of the team.
Payton said he had met with team president Dennis Lauscha, owner Gayle Benson and general manager Mickey Loomis to tell them he had decided to go.
"I don't know what's next and it kind of feels good," said Payton in a news conference.
The 58-year-old Payton joined the Saints in 2006 and, in tandem with newly acquired quarterback Drew Brees, began to turn the team into a formidable force, peaking with a Super Bowl XLIV triumph in the 2009 season. Payton's team beat the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 in the NFL showpiece game.
Payton was close to tears as he explained why it was now time to move on. But he had prepared for that eventuality.
"The last thing I did before I went to bed was I Google-searched how not to cry during a speech," Payton said, "and one of the items was drink water and yawn. Well I didn't want to yawn, but it worked a little bit."
He said stepping down had been in his thoughts for some time, and Payton was not minded to go back on his decision.
"Last week I had a great visit, a tough visit with Mickey Loomis and Mrs Benson, and Denis Lauscha, relative to just looking ahead with what I want to do," Payton said.
"Mickey and I are of course now 16 years [with New Orleans] so that was challenging, because of our friendship more than our professional relationship, and then Mrs B was awesome. I love this about her, she said, 'Well go away for two or three months and come back for training camp, and we'll be ready to go'. And I thought that sounded pretty good, actually.
"But I'm glad she told me to spend some time away and give this some thought, because this is a big decision, and it certainly affects a lot of people.
"It's not often you as a coach have the opportunity to possibly leave. We coach, we coach, we coach, and at some point they tell you to leave.
"And as difficult as being fired is, it sure seems easier to thank everyone and move on your merry way."
Payton thanked the "amazing" New Orleans support and recalled having taken charge while the city was still recovering from the damage caused in 2005 by Hurricane Katrina.
Payton will be moving on after a 2021 campaign in which the Saints failed to reach the postseason, finishing with a 9-8 record.
It still marked another fine coaching performance from Payton, who had his team evacuated early in the year due to a hurricane and later had to deal with a number of coronavirus and injury absences.
Brees retired last year, and Payton decided it was time to follow suit.
"He and I never discussed when his last game would be, or when I'd be finished. I just felt like this season it was challenging for everyone, but man I felt like it was time," Payton said, explaining the timing of his departure.
"I knew maybe heading into training camp, but you don't share that with anyone. It's something I've been thinking about. You have close friends in the industry, and I've lost close friends in the industry in the last few years.
"Not many get to choose their terms, and I looked on it as an opportunity to see my kids more, to travel more, to get in better shape.
"I think the attention to details are so important, it can be so exhausting. I felt as this season was winding down it was the right thing."
Payton's career with New Orleans included an NFL suspension for the entire 2012 season after the Saints' 'Bountygate' scandal blew up, with players said to have been rewarded by fellow team members for injuring and knocking opponents out of games.
He returned to lead the team with distinction again, albeit unable to secure a return to the Super Bowl.
From 2017 to 2020, New Orleans achieved regular-season performances of 11-5, 13-3, 13-3 and 12-4, finishing top of the NFC South on each occasion. This season they wound up as runners-up to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Payton, who was under contract through 2024, has a 152-89 regular-season record – the 13th-best of all time (minimum 100 games) – while he is 9-8 in the playoffs.
Commanders add coveted cornerback Lattimore ahead of NFL trade deadline
A handful of teams made moves ahead of Tuesday's NFL trade deadline in an attempt to bolster their play-offs hopes.
Three first-place teams - the Washington Commanders, Detroit Lions and Pittsburgh Steelers - all swung deals, and we'll find out in just over three months if any of these trades help those franchises capture a Super Bowl championship.
The Commanders acquired perhaps the biggest name on the trade market, picking up cornerback Marshon Lattimore from the scuffling New Orleans Saints.
The Commanders shipped a third-, fourth- and sixth-round pick to the Saints for the four-time Pro Bowler, as well as a fifth-round draft pick.
The 28-year-old Lattimore was named 2017 AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, and though he has been slowed by injuries to his hamstring and abdomen the past few seasons, he is still considered one of the best shutdown defensive backs in the league, having not allowed a touchdown to be scored on him in coverage since 2021.
He has 15 interceptions in his eight pro seasons, but doesn't have one in seven games this year.
Lattimore goes from a New Orleans team that is in the midst of a seven-game losing streak and had just fired coach Dennis Allen on Monday to a Washington team that is 7-2 and is surprisingly atop the NFC East.
Lions add pass rusher Smith in trade with Browns
The Lions opened the final day of trading by acquiring pass rusher Za'Darius Smith from the Cleveland Browns for a fifth-round pick and a sixth-rounder in 2026. The Lions are also receiving a seventh-round pick in 2026 from the Browns.
Detroit (7-1) had been looking to upgrade its pass rush after star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson fractured his left tibia and fibula back in Week 6, and Smith should help in that department.
A three-time Pro Bowl selection, the 32-year-old Smith has five sacks this year and 65 sacks in 132 games over 10 pro seasons.
The Lions are in first place in the NFC North with a 7-1 record, but have struggled to generate pressure without Hutchinson, recording just five sacks in the three games without him after registering 15 in its first five games.
Jets send wide receiver Williams to Steelers
The New York Jets found a suitor for Mike Williams, shipping the wide receiver to the Steelers for a fifth-round pick in the 2025 draft.
Williams, a two-time 1,000-yard receiver, was in his first season with the Jets (3-6) after spending his first seven NFL seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers.
He was never able to build any chemistry with Aaron Rodgers, however, and the 40-year-old quarterback called out Williams for running the wrong route on a play that Rodgers threw an interception late in a 23-20 loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 6.
At that point, it was clear New York was going to try to find a trade partner for the embattled wide out, especially after the Jets acquired Rodgers' old friend Davante Adams in a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders (2-7) last month.
Williams, who has 321 career receptions for 4,972 yards and 31 touchdowns, now joins a Steelers team that has won three straight games and is atop the AFC North with a 6-2 record.
Pittsburgh also acquired veteran pass rusher Preston Smith from the Green Bay Packers for a seventh-round draft pick.
Rams trade cornerback White to Ravens
The Los Angeles Rams dealt cornerback TreDavious White to the Baltimore Ravens (6-3) in exchange for a 2026 seventh-round draft pick and a seventh-rounder the following year.
The Rams (4-4) had given White permission to seek a trade in late October, and has been inactive in their last four games.
The disgruntled cornerback was in his first season in Los Angeles after spending his first seven seasons with the Buffalo Bills.
The 29-year-old is a two-time Pro Bowl selection, but has been limited to 14 games in the last three seasons due to various injuries.
He should still be able to help a Baltimore defense that is last in the NFL against the pass, allowing an average of 280.9 passing yards per game.
In moves on a smaller scale, the Cowboys (3-5) acquired wide receiver Jonathan Mingo from the Carolina Panthers (2-7), and the Cincinnati Bengals (4-5) picked up Khalil Herbert from the Chicago Bears (4-4) for depth at running back.
One player who didn't change teams and was rumoured to be on the move was the Raiders star edge rusher Maxx Crosby.
The Seattle Seahawks (4-5) also decided to keep wide receiver DK Metcalf , while the Panthers are sticking with No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young and the Indianapolis Colts (4-5) are keeping quarterback Anthony Richardson.
Cowboys owner Jones says quarterback Prescott will likely be placed on injured reserve
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones implied that quarterback Dak Prescott will likely be placed on injured reserve, meaning he would miss a minimum of four games.
The Cowboys announced Monday that Prescott would be side-lined with an injured hamstring, but a decision on if he would go on IR had not yet been made.
Speaking on his weekly radio appearance on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas on Tuesday, Jones indicated the injury was worse than initially feared.
"It's likely we'll IR him," Jones said. "We'll see how his rehab goes."
Prescott, who signed a record-breaking, $240million contract hours before this season's opener, suffered the injury late in the third quarter of Sunday's 27-21 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
He was replaced by Cooper Rush, and the seven-year backup will get the start this Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Rush completed 13-of-25 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown against the Falcons, but couldn't rally Dallas all the way back.
The Cowboys ended up losing their third straight game to drop to 3-5, which matches the total number of losses the team had each of the last three seasons.
They now sit in third place in the NFC East, 3 1/2 games behind the division-leading Washington Commanders.
Rush has found some success as a fill-in starter for the Cowboys, though, the 30-year-old hasn't been forced into the starting role since 2022.
In six career starts for Dallas, he's gone 5-1 with 1,281 passing yards with seven touchdowns, four interceptions and an 83.6 rating.
Mahomes' 'scary' ankle injury 'not too bad'
Patrick Mahomes assured the ankle injury he sustained during the Kansas City Chiefs’ victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is “not too bad” despite hailing the incident as “scary”.
The quarterback led the Chiefs to their 14th straight win with 34 of his 44 passes completed for 291 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.
The Bucs took them to overtime but the AFC West leaders prevailed to remain unbeaten following a 30-24 victory on Monday.
Mahomes had hobbled off with assistance at one point during the game, leading to concern ahead of the Chiefs' next game against the Denver Broncos, but he has provided some reassurance.
"[The injury was] definitely scary. I think it hurt more just because it's the same ankle I rolled last week, so it scared me a little bit,” he said.
“But once I took my breath and calmed down a little bit, it ended up being not too bad. We were able to go in there at the reset and go back on the football team."
It means it is likely Mahomes will return next week despite the reoccurrence of the injury on the same ankle, with head coach Andy Reid marvelling at the 29-year-old's resilience.
"I wasn't sure exactly where he was going to be with it. He might have the loosest ankles in America. It's ridiculous how he can come back from those things,” he said.
The victory also marked DeAndre Hopkins’ first home game as a Chief, as he finished with eight catches for 86 yards and two touchdowns.
"[Hopkins] is so good at winning one-on-one, so to be able to have him down in the red zone, third-down situations - he does a good job of filling out and finding those windows. You give him a chance down the field and he makes a play,” Mahomes said.
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