The Tom Brady-Sean Payton speculation keeps ratcheting up.
During halftime of Saturday’s Jaguars-Titans game, ESPN analyst and former Jets coach Rex Ryan said he can envision Payton returning to the Saints in 2023 in a long-rumored pairing with Brady.
“I could see him going back to New Orleans and maybe bringing a quarterback named Tom Brady with him,” Ryan said.
The 59-year-old Payton, who has worked as an NFL analyst on Fox this season, is looking to get back into coaching after ending his 16-year run with the Saints last year. Brady, who has a $375 million contract to become an NFL game analyst for Fox whenever he retires, is finishing his third season with the Buccaneers after 20 years with the Patriots. The 45-year-old quarterback will be a free agent this year.
The Dolphins were punished by the NFL in August after the league determined Miami tampered with Brady and Payton by having “impermissible communications” as part of a plan to bring the pairing in. The Dolphins were docked their first-round pick this year and a 2024 third-rounder.
On Dec. 27, Pro Football Talk cited a source that said Payton returning to the Saints is the “worst-kept secret” in the NFL. Asked about a potential pairing with Brady during NFL reporter Peter Schrager’s podcast, Payton said, “There is a good chance that if we work together, it will be with Fox.”
The Broncos reportedly received permission from the Saints to interview Payton for their head coaching job, vacant after Denver fired first-year coach Nathaniel Hackett last month. Ryan, however, does not see Payton going to the Broncos after they traded their 2023 first-and-second-round picks to get Russell Wilson.
“I don’t see this happening in a million years, and the reason for it is, Sean Payton, you’re gonna come back into coaching and you’re gonna take this team?” Ryan said. “You have no compensation here because all the draft picks are already going to Seattle. And so to me, I don’t see it happening.”
Earlier on Saturday, Ryan broke down in tears while discussing Bills safety Damar Hamlin, calling him a “legend” as he continues to recover from cardiac arrest.
