It seems only a matter of time before Sean Payton returns to the ranks of NFL coaches. And for a long time it sure felt like the New Orleans Saints weren't in that discussion.
But is that really the case? A column by NOLA.com's Jeff Duncan would seem to suggest otherwise, opening a very intriguing door late in a tough-to-watch Saints season that currently sits at 4-9.
A team like the L.A. Chargers could break the bank in a trade and make it a moot point, but Jeff Nowak breaks down another intriguing possibility on the latest episode of Inside Black & Gold. A Payton-Tom Brady package deal?
Listen to the full episode in the player below. Can't see the embed? Click here.
“There is one thing that I know to be true: If Drew Brees had retired after 2019, Tom Brady would’ve been the quarterback for the Saints in 2020. Drew Brees didn’t retire. Tom Brady … went and played for the Bucs.
"Tom Brady is a free agent this year, and he just divorced. He’s not quitting football now. He’s playing until he’s 50. He’s going to try to prove a point. So where is he going to go? Well, he wanted to go to Miami to hang out with Sean. That’s not going to happen now. They’re not firing Mike McDaniel, who has been excellent. Tua’s been great, so that’s off the table. … So if they wanted to team up it’d have to be somewhere else. Maybe Carolina? Eh, again, another division rival would have to trade for [Payton]. So you kind of look at it like, what if those teams wouldn’t make that trade. Where would it make sense?
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“So if it ends up being a package deal. And Tom is like, 'you know what, Sean? Let’s go hang out in New Orleans,’ and Sean goes to the front office and says ‘Hey guys, I know you're still kinda mad that I ditched y'all, and it hasn't been all that fun trying to figure out this last season, but have you met my friend, Mr. Brady, here?’
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"That’s the scenario that makes sense to me."
Related
The Saints have four games left to play, followed by a lot of questions to answer -- assuming nothing truly crazy happens in the NFC South. The landing spot of its former coach will probably be the biggest one.
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