New Orleans Saints possibly will base in Dallas area for first month of regular season

Regular season opener could be played at AT&T Stadium, Payton says

Aug 31, 2021 at 12:18 PM

John DeShazier

Senior Writer

The New Orleans Saints prepare to host the Jacksonville Jaguars during pregame warmups ahead of Preseason Week 2 at the Caesars Superdome on August 23, 2021.

The New Orleans Saints appear to be leaning toward remaining in the Dallas/Fort Worth area for the next month as the team prepares to open its NFL season Sept. 12 against Green Bay.

Coach Sean Payton said Tuesday, Aug. 31 that logistically for the Saints, it makes the most sense to remain somewhere close as New Orleans and Louisiana attempt to recover from the damage caused by Hurricane Ida. Much of New Orleans and the metropolitan area currently are without power, and projections are that it will not be fully restored for several weeks.

"It gets back to, well, there's a chance that if our stadium (the Caesars Superdome) is not ready to host the Packers in Week 1, where might that game be?" Payton said. "And there's a chance that game could very well be right here at AT&T Stadium (in Arlington, Texas).

"We've got enough fans in this area and Houston, and certainly from northern Louisiana, that we think that would be something that's very realistic.

"So a major city with two airports, that gives you a lot of flexibility. Two programs, locally here, be it TCU (in Fort Worth) and SMU (in Dallas), that have reached out that completely would love to be a part of helping us and hosting us.

"So it's almost like you're beginning to arrive at certain decisions that really make a lot of sense, as opposed to maybe in the very beginning. Because I know we started with some early thoughts of being out West. I think the away games (against Carolina and New England in Weeks 2 and 3) quickly changed our minds relative to that, where they were at. It's a process and we're getting closer here to where we think the best fit is."

Payton said the team likely would definitively have its plan in place Wednesday. Players will practice Wednesday, then be off Thursday through Saturday before returning to the designated location Sunday.

On Monday, he already had stated that the return destination likely would not be the team's practice facility in Metairie, and that the Saints probably would be out of town for several weeks. Tuesday, he reiterated that point while identifying the likely destination.

"I would say, we're starting with the idea that, let's just say it's a month," Payton said. "I think it's much easier to reel it back in. What would that mean? That would mean prepping for Green Bay in Week 1, prepping for Carolina in Week 2, prepping for New England in Week 3 and then prepping for the home game against the Giants.

"I think we're looking at the first quarter of the season, the first four weeks, knowing that we can always adjust if need be. Certainly, we know for at least the upcoming couple of weeks. We're not looking past that and really, that's not a challenge logistically for these places. It's really more of, what's the schedule look like for these schools.

"If we're looking at schools like SMU, that would be in Dallas, TCU, that would be in Fort Worth. What's the availability of AT&T Stadium during the week if we kind of came back Sunday in another location around here and worked on going back and forth."

Photos: Saints practice at AT&T Stadium in Arlington 8-31-21