The Miami Dolphins reportedly came close to pulling off a grand plan to bring aboard Tom Brady and Sean Payton. Now it’s nothing more than a “what if” that the parties involved would rather not discuss.
As detailed by Ben Volin of The Boston Globe, the Dolphins wanted to hire Payton as their head coach and introduce Brady as an owner. They then would have worked to get the quarterback’s playing rights from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Those plans all changed when Brian Flores filed a lawsuit against the Dolphins and NFL alleging racial discrimination. Miami likely would have faced further legal action had the intention to hire Payton without going through the Rooney Rule become apparent.
As a result, Brady instead unretired and rejoined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Meanwhile, Miami hired former San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel as the new head coach.
On Tuesday, Payton participated in the Zurich Classic’s celebrity shootout in New Orleans. According to ESPN’s Mike Triplett, the former Saints head coach denied any knowledge of Miami’s plan before anyone could even ask him about it.
Payton added that he would have remained on the Saints’ sideline if he wanted to coach this year.
Former Saints coach Sean Payton chatted with the media after his golf round, and before he was even asked a question, said he didn’t know anything about the Dolphins/Tom Brady reports. Said if he was interested in coaching in 2022 he would have stayed with Saints. https://t.co/0bEfJw8t4u
— Mike Triplett (@MikeTriplett) April 19, 2022
Whether the rumors are true or not, Payton has no real reason to address them now. Miami’s job is no longer available, and he now has his sights set on a studio gig.
Sean Payton also said he is close to becoming a studio analyst on TV, joining the media ranks, but didn’t want to offer specifics before anything is finalized. https://t.co/VINnKN2SAi
— Mike Triplett (@MikeTriplett) April 19, 2022
We may never know what truly went down behind the scenes.
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