Dolphins GM Confirms Sean Payton Rumors, Says He Had No Conversations About Tom Brady

It had been rumored this week that the Miami Dolphins had hopes of pairing the now-retired Sean Payton and Tom Brady together as the team's new head coach and quarterback this offseason.

On Wednesday at the NFL Scouting Combine, Dolphins general manager Chris Grier confirmed to reporters that the team reached out to the New Orleans Saints to gauge Payton's availability before his retirement. However, Grier said the team had "no conversations" about bringing in Brady.

On Monday, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported that the Dolphins had planned pursuits of Payton and Brady, but those plans changed after former head coach Brian Flores filed a lawsuit Feb. 1 against the NFL alleging racial discrimination in hiring practices.

Flores' lawsuit stated, among other things, that he was subjected to "sham" interviews as a Black head coach simply to satisfy the Rooney Rule when teams already knew they weren't going to hire him. A potential agreement between the Dolphins and Payton likely would've supported Flores' assertions that head coaches of color don't get similar opportunities.

If Miami were to reach a deal with Payton, it would've had to come to an agreement on compensation with New Orleans to facilitate the hire. But Grier told reporters that the Saints would've blocked any possible move for Payton, who ended up resigning Jan. 25.

The Dolphins hired Mike McDaniel, who is biracial, as their next head coach on Feb. 6. He will be tasked with leading the development of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who is entering his third NFL season in 2022.

Tagovailoa threw for 2,653 yards, 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 13 games last year. There has been rampant speculation that Miami is hoping to find an upgrade at the quarterback position, but apparently Brady was never on the team's radar. The 44-year-old future Hall of Famer retired Feb. 1 after leading the league with 5,316 passing yards and 43 touchdowns last season.