This past summer, the Miami Dolphins were punished heavily by the NFL for attempting to recruit former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton and current Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady.
An NFL investigation found that the Dolphins violated the league’s anti-tampering rules by speaking with Brady while he was a member of the New England Patriots, and by speaking to Payton without seeking permission from the Saints.
Payton resigned from his position as the Saints head coach after the 2021 season, and Brady’s contract with the Buccaneers after this season. It’s widely known by now that Payton will eventually return to the NFL, and many have envisioned the idea of the Super Bowl 44-winning head coach joining forces with Brady.
Payton made it clear during an appearance on the newest edition of Brady’s “Let’s Go!” podcast (h/t Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk), that he will return to the NFL very soon. Not only that, but both Payton and Brady hinted at the idea of working together one day.
“Who says Tommy’s coming to Fox right away?” Payton said in response to podcast co-host Jim Gray. “Clearly, we don’t want to get another team in trouble.”
“You never know what happens in the NFL,” Brady added. “So, who knows? I thought I was retired, I wasn’t. Who knows? You never know what the future looks.”
In Sept. 2020, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport that the Saints were in the running for Brady, but the potential partnership ended when longtime starting quarterback Drew Brees announced he was coming back for the 2020 season.
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Though Brees and the Saints won the NFC South division title that year, Brady and the Bucs defeated their rivals in the NFC Divisional Round in what turned out to be Brees’ final NFL game. Brady and the Bucs went on to win Super Bowl 55.
Brady has yet to give any hints as to whether or not he’ll return in 2023, and if he would return to the Buccaneers or test free agency. If he decides to seek a new home, both Brady and Payton will be among the most coveted free agents of 2023.
Perhaps one team will be lucky enough to land not one, but both future Hall of Famers.
