According to a report from ESPN's Adam Schefter, the contract extension given to currently suspended New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton was voided by the NFL, which would have Payton a free agent after the 2012 season. Payton, who is out for the entire year due to his alleged role in the team's bounty scandal, was given a contract extension in September 2011 that would have had him as the team's main man through the 2015 campaign.
However, a clause in the contract that would have voided it if Saints general manager Mickey Loomis was fired, suspended, or left the organization under any circumstances was deemed to be unsatisfactory by the league, because it would have set a complicated precedent. According to Schefter, when Payton talked with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell about the status of that extension in March, he was told that the extension was not valid. The NFL has not commented on whether Payton's current suspension would "freeze" the timeline and extend the contract through the 2013 season, but Payton's side would be sure to argue that it does not.
However, a clause in the contract that would have voided it if Saints general manager Mickey Loomis was fired, suspended, or left the organization under any circumstances was deemed to be unsatisfactory by the league, because it would have set a complicated precedent. According to Schefter, when Payton talked with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell about the status of that extension in March, he was told that the extension was not valid. The NFL has not commented on whether Payton's current suspension would "freeze" the timeline and extend the contract through the 2013 season, but Payton's side would be sure to argue that it does not.
