Patrick Sean Payton (born December 29, 1963 in San Mateo, California) is the head coach of the New Orleans Saints. He was the quarterbacks coach and later assistant head coach of the Dallas Cowboys until being hired by the Saints on January 17, 2006.

On January 6, 2007, after the 2006 NFL season and his first with the Saints, he was named as the recipient of the AP NFL Coach of the Year Award, obtaining 44 out of 50 votes for the honor . He was also honored Motorola's NFL Coach of the Year Award. This award is chosen by NFL.com voters.

Payton was raised in Naperville, Illinois by parents Jeanne and Thomas Payton. He has an older brother, Tom, an older sister, Patrice and a younger sister, Molly. Sean attended Naperville Central High School in Naperville, IL, starting as quarterback his senior year before graduating in 1982. He then had a successful career playing quarterback at Eastern Illinois University, leading the Panthers to an 11–2 record and the quarter-finals of the Division I-AA Playoffs in 1986; while at EIU, he became a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity.