Cowboys should do their best to retain Payton

By Connor Byrne  |   Tuesday, January 10, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

Dallas Cowboys
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Last week, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and head coach Bill Parcells reached an agreement on a 2-year contract extension that would keep the legendary coach with the team through 2007. It was a key decision by Jones, one that should keep the Cowboys playoff-worthy in the NFC.

With Parcells' contract issues out of the way, the Cowboys should look at giving an extension to their assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach, Sean Payton. Also instrumental in the play-calling on offense, Payton did a marvelous job this past season of utilizing quarterback Drew Bledsoe and the remainder of the Cowboys' offense to their strengths. He's earned a great deal of respect from Parcells, otherwise he wouldn't be on the staff.

Prior to joining the Cowboys for the 2003 season, Payton worked in New York under Jim Fassel as the Giants' offensive coordinator and drew rave reviews for his tremendous game plans. Payton was able to get the best out of statue-quarterback Kerry Collins and was a major factor in the success of the Giants' offense that led the team to an NFC title in the 2000-2001 season.

Recently, Payton has garnered interest from the Green Bay Packers, New Orleans Saints, and St. Louis Rams regarding their head coaching vacancies. It wouldn't at all be shocking to see Payton land in one of those places, considering his qualifications.

The best bet would probably be the Packers since the Rams are looking for a defensive-minded head coach, while the Saints will be fortunate to land anyone at all for their position. Thanks to organizational problems and uncertainties stemming from Louisiana's problems from Hurricane Katrina, the Saints' opening isn't exactly the most enticing job out there.

The best thing that the Cowboys can do to retain Payton is what the Washington Redskins recently did with their defensive coordinator, Gregg Williams. Seeing that Williams was sure to get a head coaching job at the conclusion of this season, Redskins owner Daniel Snyder gave Williams a 3-year contract extension worth 8 million dollars. Also included in the deal is a guarantee of one million dollars if Williams isn't given the Redskins head coaching job when Joe Gibbs retires. It was a tremendous move by a Redskins team bent on keeping one of the best coaching prospects in today's NFL.

With Parcells likely to leave the Cowboys at the close of the 2007 season, the team should seriously consider giving Payton the kind of deal that Williams received. The deal shouldn't necessarily be for 8 million dollars, but should keep Payton until 2007 and guarantee him first crack at the Cowboys' vacant head coaching position for 2008.

The move would give Payton two more seasons to be groomed under Parcells, and it would keep the Cowboys' quarterbacks and the remainder of their offense performing well enough to win football games. The move would also give the Cowboys continuity since they wouldn't have to look outside the organization for a successor to Parcells.

Whether or not an extension for Payton will actually come to fruition is currently unclear. However, it is realistic to believe that Payton will be hired by the Packers. At the moment, he looks like the best candidate that they've interviewed and has certainly been waiting in the wings for a head coaching position for the last few off-seasons. If Payton is hired by the Packers, it would certainly be a major blow to the Cowboys' present and future.

Connor Byrne can be reached at cbyrne@realfootball365.com.
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