Two of the most successful people in the NFL over the past 15-20 years – quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Sean Payton – announced they were stepping away from the game this year. But one team in need of both a QB and a coach was ready to make an offer to both.
According to ProFootballTalk, the Miami Dolphins planned to pursue Brady and Payton to be their quarterback and head coach respectively. However, the internal plan was reportedly dismissed after former head coach Brian Flores opened up his lawsuit against them.
Per PFT sources, the Dolphins requested permission from the New Orleans Saints to interview Payton. They would have needed to compensate the Saints in order to hire him, even after retirement. This reportedly occurred after Payton’s resignation in late-January but before the lawsuit was filed.
The Dolphins wound up hiring San Francisco 49ers assistant coach Mike McDaniel as their head coach. But their pursuit of Brady is still a topic of internal discussion.
Before the Brian Flores lawsuit was filed, the Dolphins had planned to attempt to finagle a Sean Payton/Tom Brady package deal for 2022. https://t.co/37l1Aq1tiH
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) February 28, 2022
PFT reported that the Miami Dolphins are uncertain whether Tom Brady plans to stay retired or return as a potential target to be their starting quarterback. As a result, they’re stunlocked on what to do.
Simply put: If Brady wants to play, the Dolphins want to sign him. If Brady wants to stay retired, they want to sell him a minority stake in the team.
Despite retiring, Brady is still on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ roster. Whether he stays there until June will have major cap implications for the Bucs.
As for Miami’s current quarterback situation, they’re set to enter 2022 with Tua Tagovailoa as their starter.
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