Bill Parcells not likely to replace Sean Payton as Saints coach
It looks as if Bill Parcells won’t return to the NFL to fill the New Orleans Saints coaching vacancy, and instead the team will likely promote an assistant coach to fill Sean Payton’s job for a year.
According to reports by ESPN’s Chris Mortensen and Sports Illustrated’s Peter King, Parcells has bowed out of the running to temporarily replace Payton, suspended for a year for his role in the Saints’ bounty scandal.
Multiple reports say the most likely candidate to replace Payton is Joe Vitt, the team’s assistant head coach in charge of linebackers who also has been suspended for the first six games of the season.
The suspensions of Payton, Vitt and others were upheld Monday by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who heard their appeals last week.
Other internal candidates for the job are Offensive Coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr., Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, and Aaron Kromer, who coaches the offensive line.
Jeff Duncan of the New Orleans Times-Picayune suggests Payton’s job might be divvied up among a few coaches.
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