ATLANTA -- All Sean Payton would say Sunday when asked about his coaching future was, “Next question.”

But really, until that one gets answered, there is no next question with the New Orleans Saints.

And if Payton leaves, there will be a lot more questions.

Namely, do the Saints try to build off the gradual improvement they’ve been making with offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen? Or do they seek a more radical culture change?

Everyone from ownership to coaches to players feels genuine optimism about the direction this team is heading, despite a third straight 7-9 season. But for the second year in a row, Payton’s future looms as a potential buzzkill.

This time, the possibility of Payton leaving seems even more serious, with NOLA.com reporting Sunday night that the Los Angeles Rams are expected to seek permission to speak with Payton and that Saints general manager Mickey Loomis would be open to a trade.

Although it seems the Saints would rather keep Sean Payton, they might be able to add some important draft picks if he wants to leave. Jason Getz/USA TODAY Sports

A source told ESPN that Payton and Loomis met on the subject following Sunday’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons and will continue meeting into the week. For any deal to be struck, it would have to be considered a win-win-win for the Saints, Rams and Payton, as Loomis and Saints owner Tom Benson really have ultimate control.

The Saints signed Payton to a five-year contract extension worth more than $9 million per year this past offseason, and multiple sources have told ESPN that they are happy with the direction the team has been headed this year.

This is not a case in which they’re eager to shove Payton out the door or start over and “blow things up.” They feel like Drew Brees leading the NFL’s No. 1-ranked offense and a defense that showed some signs of progress this year could evolve into a playoff contender with some pieces added this season.

However, the Saints won’t force Payton to stay if he wants to leave. They could exploit the opportunity to use Payton as a chip to load up on some quality building blocks, like a bigger version of what they did with their trade of Jimmy Graham to the Seattle Seahawks two years ago.

In that sense, I wouldn’t hate the move, considering the Saints have been stuck in a sort of limbo between contending and rebuilding for three years now.

I have strongly been against the idea of the Saints rebuilding by parting ways with Brees until they find a suitable replacement. I think Brees makes the playoffs a much more realistic goal every year, and the search for a quarterback can set a franchise back years or decades.

But maybe the added draft picks from a Payton deal could help the Saints find the QB of the future.

The bigger question the Saints have to answer is whether they want to retain Carmichael and Allen, both of whom have done quality work this season. In that case, hiring former Saints assistant Doug Marrone or even Allen as head coach could be a route the Saints consider.

Then again, the Saints might need more of a shake-up than that, seeing as they haven’t sniffed a winning record since 2013. Maybe they need a defensive-minded version of Payton who could revamp that side of the ball while Brees, Carmichael and young receivers such as Brandin Cooks, Michael Thomas and Willie Snead keep the offense running smoothly.

Perhaps Loomis would be eager to try to catch lightning in a bottle again, like he did 11 years ago, when he hired a young up-and-comer in Payton without knowing much about him before the interview process began.

The biggest risk in letting Payton go, however, would be losing some of the team morale that seemed to build up the past two years after New Orleans revamped its roster and locker-room culture.

Players young and old have talked excitedly about the team’s future, and the idea of losing Payton seemed like a real turn-off to veterans Brees, offensive tackle Zach Strief and running back Mark Ingram following Sunday’s game.

Brees reiterated that he thinks the vibe around the team is similar to that of the 7-9 and 8-8 seasons in 2007 and 2008 before the Saints won a Super Bowl in 2009. Strief even admired the way the team rallied from Sunday’s brutal first half (the Falcons led 35-13) to come close in a 38-32 loss.

“I don’t know how to explain why that’s special, but it’s not always like that," Strief said. "It’s hard to explain without feeling it.”

Ingram agreed and said the Saints are "extremely close, and we’re young, and we just continue to thrive together."

“So I feel like, let’s just keep this unit together. And Coach Payton and Drew and just, I feel like we’re family," Ingram said. "So I don’t feel like we’re gonna be broken up.”

That’s what this would be -- a breakup -- even if there are ways to spin it positively.

That might ultimately provide a fresh start. But in the short term, it sure would feel like a buzzkill.