Sean Payton reportedly leaving New Orleans Saints head coaching job

• Sean Payton is stepping down as head coach of the New Orleans Saints.
• Payton coached the Saints since 2006, and led the team to a Super Bowl in 2009.

Sean Payton is leaving his coaching job with the New Orleans Saints, Ian Rapoport, a correspondent for NFL Network, tweeted on Tuesday.

The team is expected to hold a press conference this afternoon regarding the news, The Athletic's Saints reporter Katherine Terrell tweeted.

Representatives for the New Orleans Saints did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Payton's exit came as a surprise, but it's still unclear if the move is a permanent decision or just a chance to take time off — Rapoport's specific phrasing of "stepping away" in his initial report seems to leave the door open for a comeback should Payton choose to return to the NFL.

Payton is still under contract with the Saints through 2024, and at 58 years old, has plenty of time to make a comeback if he so chooses.

Payton took over the top job in New Orleans in 2006, and coached the Saints to a Super Bowl win in 2009. With a career record of 152-89, he's the winningest coach in the history of the franchise. The last time the Saints were without Payton on the sidelines was in 2012, when Payton was suspended for a season after the league's investigation into the Saints' bounty scandal.

In 2021, Payton coached the Saints to a 9-8 record, falling just short of making the playoffs. It was New Orleans' first time missing out on postseason action since 2016.

Despite failing to reach the playoffs, Payton's 2021 coaching campaign was one of his best, leading the Saints to a winning record despite the loss of starting quarterback Jameis Winston and a hurricane that displaced his team through the early weeks of the season.

Payton didn't mince words when expressing his feelings on how difficult the 2021 campaign had been.

"This stretch has been, I don't want to say exhausting, but it's been one of those where you just get on to the [next task]. Nothing surprises you," Payton said in Week 18, per ESPN. "When you go all the way back to the start of the season, it feels like two and a half years ago we were evacuating to Dallas during the hurricane. I mean, it doesn't feel like that's part of this season.

"I'm trying to think of a good way to describe it. Like, there's a certain bar or temperament for news that you normally have. And then when it keeps coming and coming and coming via text or in meetings, then pretty soon that bar gets raised because you just keep getting hitting in the side of the head. And at some point you've gotta smile and then bow up a little bit and get ready for the challenge still."

Payton's departure comes at a crossroads for the Saints, who are still in need of a permanent quarterback since the departure of Drew Brees last offseason, and staring down a difficult salary cap situation heading into 2022.

As the franchise looks to deal with those challenges and build towards a new future, Payton's steady hand will no longer be at the helm.