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Last year, reports indicated that — before he ultimately decided to return to the Tampa Bay Bucs for an ill-fated third season — Tom Brady and former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton were angling for a move to the Miami Dolphins.
Those plans, however, were ultimately derailed by Brian Flores’ lawsuit that he filed against the Dolphins, which sent Brady back to the Bucs and Payton into temporary retirement.
This year, though, with Payton making it clear that he wants back into the league and Brady seeming as though he’s prepared to move on from Tampa, a few potential landing spots for the pair of them have opened up, including in Carolina.
Enter the Panthers. The last to officially join the Payton chase, Carolina has a very good defense, very good receivers, a solid running game, and an offensive line good enough to make it all go.
They also have an owner who has been desperate for a great coach and a franchise quarterback. Even though Brady would be a short-term option, he’d fill the stadium and create a ton of excitement. Also, the NFC South currently is, to put it simply, not good. The Panthers would instantly become the favorites to win the division. [via ProFootballTalk]
Should the Panthers somehow acquire Brady and Payton, they would immediately be considered one of the favorites in the NFC.
As per reports around the league, there are currently four teams in the NFL that are interested in hiring the Super Bowl-winning Payton: the Denver Broncos, Arizona Cardinals, Houston Texans, and the Panthers. Given the current state of the franchise, the Texans are likely out of the equation, leaving the Broncos, Cardinals, and Panthers as the serious contenders.
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