According to Mike Florio, the Dolphins reached out to the Saints to request permission to speak to former Saints HC Sean Payton after he resigned.
Team sources say the Saints declined the request, which would have been the first step in potentially bringing Payton to Miami. The Dolphins would have first had to agree on compensation with the Saints for Payton before being allowed to discuss a contract with him directly.
Ultimately it didn’t get that far, but Florio says Miami was aiming high this offseason, as multiple sources said in addition to Payton the Dolphins also had discussions about bringing in Buccaneers QB Tom Brady.
Team sources told Florio those discussions were about the possibility of adding Brady as a minority owner, however. He’s friends with Dolphins minority owner Bruce Beal and both he and Dolphins owner Stephen Ross are Michigan alums.
Payton is currently exploring options to work in TV after stepping away from coaching. There is a widespread expectation that he returns to the NFL at some point, though, at which point the Saints would still control his rights.
Payton, 58, began his NFL coaching career with the Eagles as their QBs coach back in 1997. He later joined the Giants for three seasons before the Cowboys hired him as their assistant HC/QBs coach for the 2003 season.
The Saints brought Payton in as their head coach for the 2006 season and he’s remained in New Orleans since then. He agreed to an extension that will keep him in New Orleans through the 2024 season back in 2019.
For his career, Payton has led the Saints to a record of 152-89 (63.1 percent), which includes nine playoff appearances and one Super Bowl title in 2009.
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