Yeah, sure, okay. We’re weeks away from the start of the 2023 NFL coaching carousel, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported Tuesday that the “worst-kept secret” around the league is rumors of a potential teamup between Sean Payton and Tom Brady — with the New Orleans Saints.
This comes on the heels of news from Nola.com’s Jeff Duncan that the Saints don’t plan to move on from head coach Dennis Allen in 2023, having liked the grit and fight and determination his squad showed in holding off a couple of other teams that won’t end the year with a winning record. So how do these two different reports square together?
Let’s tackle the Brady-Payton nugget first. Those two have wanted to work together for a long time. Rumors linked Brady to Payton and the Saints a few years back before Drew Brees’ final season, when Brees considered retirement, only for No. 9 to squash that speculation by returning for one last playoff run. And the Miami Dolphins came under fire recently for tampering in hopes of getting Brady and Payton together, which progressed so far it got their owner suspended and cost them hefty sanctions from the league office.
It’s not hard to see why they’d like to team up. Payton is one of the most successful coaches around not named Bill Belichick. Brady has seen him extend the career of an aging Hall of Fame quarterback before. It certainly helps that they’re both represented by sports agent Don Yee. Brady will be a free agent in 2023 and can sign wherever he pleases, if he wants to continue playing after turning 45. Jameis Winston is the only Saints quarterback under contract next year, but it sure feels like his days in New Orleans are numbered.
So let’s shift gears and look at it from the Saints’ perspective. If they’ve already chosen to retain Allen for 2023, why would they shift course and welcome Payton back with open arms? Probably because their commitment to Allen has a caveat: he’s their guy unless Payton comes back. Payton was the organization for more than a decade. He called the shots, he made personnel decisions, and he dictated team-building strategy. He’s led them to their most successful era in franchise history. Mickey Loomis and Gayle Benson have gotten a taste of life without him at the helm. It isn’t very appealing, and they aren’t eager to try and replace him again if it can be avoided. It’s tough to see Allen returning with a demotion as defensive coordinator, which would kill his credibility in the building, so that helps explain some of Payton’s interest in an experienced hand like Vic Fangio for that role.
This is just my take, but I wouldn’t rule out a Payton-and-Brady union in New Orleans next year at all. I don’t think it’s very likely, because Payton very likely wants a fresh start and to prove he can win a Super Bowl elsewhere, but the Saints should have some appeal to him. He’s won there before, he knows everyone he’d be working with (and answering to), and at the end of the day there’s something to be said for a strong sense of comfort. It’s possible, but anything is possible. It’s possible that I could win the Powerball lottery and you’d never hear from me again. We’ll just have to wait and see how this shakes out.
