It is not yet known whether Tom Brady will resume his playing career after this season following 23 years in the league, but it does appear that he may have some serious options to consider when he becomes a free agent next summer.
The 45-year-old quarterback has struggled in recent weeks, with his team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers having a losing record going into the final two games of the season. It's been a difficult season for Brady, although he has struggled in recent weeks, he has shown enough that he's still capable of playing at a very high level.
The New Orleans Saints are reportedly hopeful that former head coach Sean Payton will return to the team, reportedly set to pair with defensive-mastermind Vic Fangio to form an impressive-sounding coaching team.
And it has been reported today by ProFootballTalk that Payton returning to the Saints is 'the worst kept secret in football', and that he could look to add Brady for one more go-around of winning another Super Bowl before the quarterback retires.
Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk wrote that the Saints moving for Brady is not sourced, but could be a serious option for the team to consider - who are without a first-round draft pick to select a quarterback and unlikely to stick with either Andy Dalton or Jameis Winston.
The Saints have struggled this season without Payton, and have had subpar quarterback play since Drew Brees retired in 2020.
One player who would seemingly approve of this, would be Saints star wide receiver Michael Thomas. Thomas shared the post of PFT posting about the possibility of Brady playing for the Saints and being coached by Payton.
Like Brady, coach Payton is also likely to have numerous options of teams to coach should he declare himself unretired, after walking away from the sport before this past season.
But unlike Brady, the coach remains under contract with New Orleans, and would have to be traded for him to join another team - likely costing a high-draft pick.
He would be paired with one of the better defensive coaches of the past decade, Fangio, who masterminded the San Francisco 49ers (2011-2014) and Chicago Bears (2015-2018) defenses who both ranked as one of the better units in that time.
