The specifics of the Dolphins rumored plan to pair Tom Brady and Sean Payton in Miami might not be known, but there was certainly interest in a trade for the former Saints coach.
Payton said so himself this week, though he didn't find out about it until after it was quickly snuffed out.
“I’ve read and seen parts of the story and evidently there was someone from Miami that reached out to the Saints relative to me coaching," Payton told Saints and NFL Hall of Famer Morten Andersen on the Great Dane Podcast from VegasInsider this week.
"There has to be a permission, obviously compensation. I still have years left on a contract," he said. "The good news is they’re still talking about you."
It was news that Payton first learned the same way as many others: Through the media. The former Saints coach spoke prior to last week's Zurich Classic to share that he wasn't involved in any rumored negotiations. No one from the Dolphins reached out to him, but Payton said he has since spoken with Saints GM Mickey Loomis, who indicated no official offer was ever put in. The idea was likely floated unofficially through an intermediary, Payton said, and quickly shot down.
The coach said he had no issue with that, as he's nearing a deal to join a broadcast studio team for the 2022 season, as has been his stated plan all along.
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Payton also, and again, addressed the notion that he's waiting out a job with the Cowboys. He said that's not true, though he didn't rule out coaching there, because he didn't rule out any team he could potentially join in he returns to the NFL coaching ranks someday. Dallas just seems to come up the most often because of his connections to the team and ownership as a former assistant there under Bill Parcells.
"I don’t see it or have a preconceived team in mind," Payton said. "The Dallas thing, there’s nothing to combat or say. Look, for 16 years in New Orleans it came up every year.”
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