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For those of you who frequent this particular digital destination and / or watch or listen to PFT Live, you know that the Dolphins wanted to hire Sean Payton to be the next head coach of the team, with the idea of making sure quarterback services. Tom Brady. You also know that the lawsuit filed by former Dolphins coach Brian Flores (the same day Brady announced his ephemeral retirement) blew it all up.
It was, as we have said many times since the end of February, an agreement made. Was happening. He was aligned. It was only a matter of time.
During Super Bowl week, Brady was reportedly introduced as a minority owner of the Dolphins. After that, the Dolphins would have reached an agreement with the Saints for Payton, with at least a first-round pick from Miami to New Orleans. Then, probably after the Buccaneers acquired a new starting quarterback through free trade or agency, an agreement would have been reached between Miami and Tampa Bay for Brady to play for the Dolphins.
Yes, it was happening. In fact, it was a done deal. It has been the least reported story of the low season, in large part because it was not first reported by ESPN.com and / or NFL Media. Since then, they have both ignored and / or downplayed it, because it was not theirs.
That doesn’t make it any less true.
Recently, several reports added a key detail to the equation. The Dolphins were willing to give Payton a $ 100 million contract.
Dave Hyde of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported late last week that it would have been $ 20 million a year for five years for Payton. Albert Breer of SI.com reported Monday that it would actually have been $ 100 million for four years.
Whether they are four or five years old, it is not surprising, since: (1) the deal was made; and (2) the training market is in the process of breaking down.
Obviously, it didn’t happen. Next year, someone will surely make another career at Payton. The Panthers have already been linked with Payton. As Playmakers explains, the Cowboys were ready to replace Jason Garrett with Payton in early 2019, but a strange turn of events involving the New Orleans Pelicans and Anthony Davis sank what was then a agreement made.
Other teams may be interested in Payton in 2023. It is clearly at stake for next year. It is a proven commodity. And now it is clear that he will be ready to train again. He almost did, restlessly.
But at Flores’ request, it would have happened. Payton and Brady in Miami. Brady, met with an old-school Patch disciple who burns midnight oil and demands a high degree of responsibility from his players. Like Bill Belichick.
To understand Brady’s attraction to Payton is to better understand Brady’s (though articulated in the Buccaneers) desire to trade Bruce Arians for Todd Bowles, another Plots protégé. Although Brady has not been able to spend more than 20 years with Belichick, Brady knows the value of a hard workout for him and the rest of the team. A coach who works and works and works and works and who expects a similar commitment from his players. That’s what Brady wanted, and that’s what he almost got in Miami.
Let’s turn it around, in both respects. Could Payton and Brady, who will be a free agent in 2023, eventually join elsewhere? It all depends on where Payton goes and whether that team needs a quarterback. Miami, still a potential destination for Brady, will not change coach after a year with Mike McDaniel. The Cowboys, if Payton lands, will not change quarterback.
Could it be Carolina? It’s hard to imagine the Saints exchanging Payton’s rights within the division. However, when evaluating potential positions in both the coach and quarterback carousel after the end of next season, it makes sense to be aware of the possibility, however scarce it may seem at present, that planets line up in a way that translates into a rival team looking for both a new coach and a new quarterback. This team, if there is one that fits the description, could be the next team to try to land both Payton and Brady.