Report: Saints and Payton Can Negotiate Contract Now

In the latest development of the continuing saga of Sean Payton's contract status, Larry Holder has just tweeted the following:

Not sure if this has been reported yet, but the #Saints and Sean Payton can negotiate his contract extension right now, via a source.

Holder added a bit more info in his brief post on nola.com:

The New Orleans Saints and suspended Coach Sean Payton are allowed to negotiate a contract extension right now despite the league's no-contact policy as a stipulation for Payton's season-long suspension connected to the bounty scandal, according to a source.

And here's something I hadn't gleaned from the coverage of Goodell's statements last night:

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed Payton's contract extension was voided to reporters in Atlanta on Sunday night. When asked by the NFL Network if Payton's contract ends in 2012, Goodell said it wasn't for him to decide and that issue is between Payton and the Saints.

At this point, it's not known who Holder's source is, or what exactly said source said or emailed or tweeted to Larry, but I am reporting this nonetheless as breaking news. #imnojournalist #imadocumentarian

I'm off work today, so I'll do what I can to stay on top of this news as it unfolds.