Jerry Jones: Payton to Cowboys rumors pulled 'out of the air'

Rumors linking Sean Payton to the Dallas Cowboys have circulated for years, and they reignited once again after the former New Orleans Saints head coach shockingly retired in January while leaving the door open for an NFL return.

But Cowboys owner Jerry Jones shut down the speculation Thursday, backing head coach Mike McCarthy to deliver in his third season in charge.

"Sean Payton shouldn't be out there," Jones said Thursday, according to Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "For him, the Cowboys, that's just sheer out of the air. It's well known we're good friends and we think a lot of him as a head coach. But in this case, asking the way you're asking, he shouldn't be a conversation piece."

He added: "Mike has got an opportunity here to win a Super Bowl. That's really the measurement that I look at. But it's also an eternity between right now and next year."

Payton worked as the Cowboys' assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach under Bill Parcells before leaving for the Saints in 2006.

The 58-year-old established himself as one of the NFL's premier head coaches and offensive minds during 15 seasons in New Orleans, winning the Super Bowl in 2009 and accumulating a 152-89 record.

Payton is reportedly set to join Fox as an NFL studio analyst for the 2022 campaign.

The ex-head coach was apparently pursued by the Miami Dolphins, who wanted to pair him with Tom Brady. Payton remains under contract with the Saints for two more seasons, so any team looking to tempt him back to the NFL would have to negotiate a trade with New Orleans.