A legendary New Orleans Saints head coach has landed on a list among the NFL's all-time greatest, a new study shows.
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A legendary New Orleans Saints head coach has landed on a list among the NFL's all-time greatest, a new study shows.
Former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton is undoubtedly one of the franchise’s legendary members.
But there’s new research highlighting just how Payton’s tenure in New Orleans ranks among the NFL’s greatest coaches. The data shows that Payton isn’t just a Saints’ great. He’s among the top 15 greatest NFL coaches.
The analysts at Betway put together a comprehensive study measuring various metrics to determine a ranking of the NFL’s best coaches of all time. Unsurprisingly, Bill Belichick took the top spot. In his 24 seasons leading the New England Patriots, the all-time great racked up a .687win percentage on the strength of 266 regular-season wins and 30 postseason victories. Those victories include eight Super Bowl rings. Granted, two of those came as an assistant coach.
Other legendary coaches ahead of the Saints’ Payton include Don Shula, Tom Landry, Andy Reid, Bill Walsh, and Mike Shanahan, among others. Amid that pantheon of greats, Payton lands in 14th spot all-time.
The rationale behind the placement hinges on a weighted measure of the number of seasons in a particular tenure, regular-season wins, playoff wins, total number of victories, and Super Bowl titles.
By that measure, it’s tough to beat Belichick, who scored 99.40 out of 100. The coaches ahead of Payton had longer tenures, thus racking up more victories, or had more championship titles. For instance, Mike Shanahan, who’s top spots ahead of the Saints’ coach, won two Super Bowl titles.
Tony Dungy, who is directly ahead of Payton, had a much shorter tenure. But his time showed a ridiculous .759 win percentage, to go with seven postseason victories on one championship.
Dungy narrowly beat out Payton with a score of 75.93 to Payton’s 73.09.
Payton Was Face of Incredible Era of Saints Football
Sean Payton was the face of an incredible era of Saints’ football. That era culminated with a Super Bowl in 2009. It was a tremendous feat following the disaster that was Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
During that season, the Saints played home games at LSU and a couple at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. For a while, fans in San Antonio were clamoring for the Saints to relocate. And it seemed like they would due to the uncertainty regarding the damage to the Superdome.
But sure enough, the club rebounded and became a powerhouse for numerous seasons. Payton and Drew Brees are easily the franchise’s two most recognizable faces. But the hope is that a new era will dawn in New Orleans.
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New Era Dawning in New Orleans
Kellen Moore and Tyler Shough look to be ushering in a new era of Saints football. This season’s 6-11 record could just be the beginning of what could be another long streak of winning seasons.
Plus, offseason additions could lead the Saints to a comeback in 2026. While expectations aren’t necessarily sky high, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic. A winning season in 2026 would mark the return of what could be another championship down the road. The team has gradually put the pieces in place.
So, it might just be a matter of time before the Saints return to NFL glory.