Dolphins had reportedly prepared mammoth offer for Sean Payton

Aug 23, 2021; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton looks on during the second half against Jacksonville Jaguars at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Dolphins supposedly had a big plan in the works this offseason that involved Sean Payton becoming their head coach and Tom Brady joining the franchise as a part-owner and player. It is unclear if either had interest, but it sounds like the Dolphins were at least willing to make Payton a contract offer he could not refuse.

According to Dan Hyde of the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Dolphins were prepared to give Payton $100 million over five years. While contracts for head coaches are not disclosed, that would have easily made Payton one of the highest-paid coaches in sports history.

Hyde notes that the Dolphins wanted to make Payton the highest-paid coach in the league behind only Bill Belichick.

It is believed that Belichick’s salary is somewhere in the $12-13 million range. New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft makes sure Belichick is the top-paid coach in the NFL, for obvious reasons. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported last year that Belichick actually makes around $20 million, as he says NFL teams “funnel extra compensation to these guys through related companies.” That could be where the $20 million figure for Payton came from.

Whatever the case, the Dolphins had a huge plan and were looking to spare no expense to execute it. They probably would have allowed Brady to name his price. We may never know if Brady and Payton were interested, though Brady did have an interesting response to the rumors recently.