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First, let’s address the Payton rumors. Based on conversations with multiple NFL executives and coaches, including several who have ties to Tepper, league insiders don’t see this as a fit. Many who know Payton well don’t believe he and Tepper would be a match, and the Carolina job comes with several red flags. There is no quarterback on the roster that coaches are eager to work with and no trove of 2023 draft picks. The Panthers have talent on defense, but the roster needs work. Tepper has no track record of winning, and the facilities aren’t special. Oh, and facing the New Orleans Saints twice a year would be a little awkward for Payton, who coached the franchise to its only Super Bowl title. The odds of Saints exec Mickey Loomis dealing Payton, who is under contract to the Saints through 2024, to a division rival are bleak. “That’s only an attractive job if you have a chance to get a quarterback,” one NFL general manager Another GM said: “Tepper isn’t afraid to throw money around, but this won’t happen. [Loomis] wants to trade [Payton] to an AFC team. I can’t see Sean in Carolina, and he’s going to be able to speak with any owner [with a coaching vacancy] he wants.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/10/11/carolina-panthers-next-head-coach/