Dolphins tried to flip first 2 draft picks for Tom Brady and Sean Payton

The Miami Dolphins nearly dealt for Tom Brady and Sean Payton this offseason.

Though the Miami Dolphins have made several strong moves this offseason to get better as a football team, there has been a ton of intrigue surrounding the two they did not make: Trading for Tom Brady and Sean Payton in separate deals with their respective NFC South franchises.

Like Miami owner Stephen Ross, Brady is a Michigan man. With Miami being an international city and Brady’s wife Gisele Bündchen being a world famous supermodel, on paper, this made some sense. While Brady would not have been an option had he remained with the New England Patriots, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers being in the opposite conference made this deal possible.

As for Payton, the last few years with the New Orleans Saints had been trying for him with Drew Brees rapidly decaying as a downfield passer and then hitting retirement. After year one without Brees, the Saints failed to reach the NFC playoffs and Payton shockingly hung up the visor. He is expected to be part of an NFL broadcasting team, either in the booth or likely on a TV studio set.

While these rumors were nothing more than that, NBC Sports’ Chris Simms offered an interesting wrinkle in all this on the God Bless Football podcast. Simms told Stugotz Miami was prepared to trade a second-round pick to Tampa Bay for Brady and a first-round pick to New Orleans to acquire Payton and pair the future Hall of Famers together in 2022.

"“They were going to trade a second-round pick to Tampa Bay to get Brady. [The Bucs] weren’t going to hold him hostage. Sean Payton and the Saints, that was going to be a first-round pick to get that deal done,” said Simms on God Bless Football. “It was a very real, tangible thing and the Brian Flores lawsuit definitely threw a wrench in it.”"

Of course, neither deal happened and the Dolphins used picks No. 29 from the San Francisco 49ers and their own pick at No. 50 as part of the package to acquire speedster wide receiver Tyreek Hill from the Kansas City Chiefs. Miami has an All-Pro for new head coach Mike Daniel to work with and help bring along third-year pro Tua Tagovailoa, but could you imagine?

NFL rumors: Miami Dolphins tried to trade for Tom Brady and Sean Payton

While these potential moves made in unison would have been utterly fascinating, Miami is in a better spot having not done this. Brady will be 45 years old this upcoming NFL season and Payton was so burnt out after spending a decade and change as the greatest head coach in Saints franchise history. These moves may have had great upside, but the risks outweighed the rewards.

For now, Miami has a great shot to contend for an AFC Wild Card spot in McDaniel’s first year on the job. The Dolphins do play in a tough division, but if all goes according to plan, Miami definitely has the talent and overall upside to be a top-seven team in its conference. Given the right postseason matchup, the Dolphins could potentially win their first playoff game since 2000.

As for Brady, he and the Buccaneers are all-in on trying to win a second Super Bowl in three seasons. Should they accomplish that goal, he can ride off into the sunset as The Forever GOAT and new head coach Todd Bowles will have a tremendous runway to orchestrate a reload or the slightest of rebuilds. As for Payton, he could return to coaching as early as next football season.

Overall, Miami’s reported willingness to pursue Brady and Payton this aggressively is captivating.