America's National Football League is reporting the New Orleans Saints are set to hand suspended head coach Sean Payton a five-year contract extension.
Payton is currently serving a season-long suspension for his role in the team's bounty programme, which gave players cash rewards for knocking opponents out of games from 2009-2011.
New Orleans have struggled without Payton at the helm this season and at 7-8 they will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2008.