Dolphins Reportedly Wanted To Pursue Tom Brady As Quarterback, Partial Owner This Offseason
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Miami Dolphins have been in the news quite a bit this offseason. They're sure to stay there a while longer.
Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio reported Monday morning that the Dolphins had planned to pursue Sean Payton as their head coach while wooing Tom Brady to Miami -- as a quarterback, with an offer to take a minority ownership stake in the team -- earlier this offseason. That plan was derailed by Brian Flores' lawsuit, according to the report.
The report noted that if Brady does indeed stay retired, the process could continue for him to gain a minority stake in the team.
"Dolphins sources contend that internal discussions occurred regarding the possibility of adding Brady as a minority owner, but that those considerations currently are on hold," Florio wrote. "The delay, per Dolphins sources, has nothing to do with the lawsuit; it's more about the uncertain status of Brady's retirement from playing. Once it's clear he's not coming back to play for the Buccaneers or some other team, the plan for selling a piece of the team to Brady could proceed."
The report added that partial ownership of the team was "on the table" in 2020, when Brady was a free agent, though the quarterback obviously ended up going to Tampa Bay. Florio also said the possibility remains that Brady plays for the Dolphins in 2022, "depending on whether the Dolphins make some other move at quarterback between now and then."
As to the Brady side of the equation, multiple Dolphins sources acknowledged under condition of anonymity that the team has had internal discussions about Brady purchasing a minority interest in the team. https://t.co/ffWddkPfdW
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) February 28, 2022
As for Payton, the report indicated that the Dolphins contacted the Saints to ask for permission to speak to Payton, but that request was denied.
The Dolphins, though, have since acquired some bigger problems, with the NFL investigating Brian Flores' claims that owner Stephen Ross offered the head coach and extra $100,000 per loss in an effort to tank in 2019 for a better draft pick. In the interim, the team hired Mike McDaniel as head coach while keeping Tua Tagovailoa as the starting quarterback.