Report: Dolphins had Tom Brady-Sean Payton plans before Flores lawsuit

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Did Brian Flores inadvertently prevent the Miami Dolphins from pursuing a big-ticket head coach-quarterback combination?

After firing Flores in January, the Dolphins had plans to pursue Sean Payton as their new head coach and recruit Tom Brady to be their new starting quarterback, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio reported Monday.

According to Florio, Miami scrapped that plan after Flores filed a lawsuit against the NFL, the New York Giants, the Denver Broncos and the Dolphins on Feb. 1 alleging racial discrimination in the workplace. The Dolphins hired former San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel on Feb. 6.

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The New Orleans Saints confirmed to Florio that the Dolphins contacted them requesting permission to speak to Payton after he resigned as their head coach on Jan. 25.

A Brady-Payton pairing in Miami -- where Brady would face the New England Patriots twice a year in the AFC East -- would have been pretty fascinating. But while Payton is off the table, it sounds like Brady still may be involved with the Dolphins at some point down the line.

The Dolphins have had "internal discussions" about adding Brady as a minority owner of the team, Florio reported, citing Brady's relationship with Dolphins vice chairman and partner Bruce Beal, who would take over as Miami's controlling owner should Stephen Ross step down.Miami has paused those discussions due to the "uncertain status of Brady’s retirement," according to Florio. The 44-year-old announced his retirement from the NFL a month ago but just finished one of the best statistical seasons of his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, so there's plenty of speculation he'll get the itch to return for 23rd season.

While current Dolphins starter Tua Tagovailoa has shown occasional signs of progress, Brady would be an obvious upgrade at quarterback. The possibility of playing an additional season in Miami before potentially becoming a part-time owner of the team -- all while staying close to his family's current home in Tampa and getting the chance to beat Bill Belichick two more times -- could be very tempting for TB12.

So, keep an eye on the Dolphins one way or another as it relates to the seven-time Super Bowl champion.

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