Broncos coach Sean Payton returns to New Orleans during 'Thursday Night Football' for the first time since 2022, when he stepped down after 15 seasons as Saints coach.

Without Sean Payton, there might not be a New Orleans Saints anymore. Just before Payton joined the Saints as their head coach, the threat of moving to San Antonio was real. It might be too simplistic to say that when Payton and quarterback Drew Brees immediately turned the franchise around,

Rejection brought them together. Payton flirted with the Raiders, but he wanted the Green Bay job. The Packers went in another direction, and he ended up in New Orleans. Brees was headed to the Dolphins as a free agent but failed a physical. Reggie Bush was supposed to go to the Texans with the No. 1 overall pick, but they passed on him.