The Miami Dolphins were ready to make a huge move in order to become a champion. As reported by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the Dolphins were set to offer former New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton a $100 million contract to coach the team. It would have been the second known $100 million contract in NFL history — the first being Jon Gruden with the Oakland Raiders — according to CBS Sports.
The Dolphins fired head coach Brian Flores as soon as the 2021 season ended. It was reported that Miami was looking to bring in Payton to coach and superstar quarterback Tom Brady to be an owner and player. But when Flores sued the Dolphins and other teams, their plans of being the dream duo went up in the air. Payton will now join the Fox Sports team this season while Brady will play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for at least one more year.
Videos by PopCulture.com
“I have no clue about the Tampa Bay, Miami Dolphin, Tom Brady rumor,” Payton said during a recent appearance at a golf tournament. “My understanding is that there a request was put in or that intermediaries talked. I’m like the rest of you. I heard that story.” Payton resigned from the Saints following the 2021 season and said that if he were to coach again, he would go back to New Orleans. “If I would have been ready to coach like this year, I would have stayed in New Orleans,” Payton said. “And so it’s nice to have someone interested and, yeah, that’s about it. Look, our focus on Tom Brady has been beating him, not joining him.”
Brady also recently addressed the report of him talking to the Dolphins about being an owner and player. “I’ve had a lot of conversations with a lot of people, as I’ve had for the past three or four years in my career, about different opportunities when I’m done playing football. I kind of made a decision of what I’d like to do,” Brady said. “I’ll get to be in the game of football. … The most important thing is where I’m at now and what I hope to do for this team. That’s been my commitment, to this team and this organization.” Payton will not coach this season as he will be joining Fox Sports in the fall.
