In early 2022 (if not during the 2021 season), the Dolphins were cooking up a plan that entailed coach Sean Payton and quarterback Tom Brady joining forces. (It didn’t go well for the Dolphins.)
Four years later, Brady and Payton will join forces.
Payton, along with Kyle Shanahan of the 49ers and Pete Carroll of the Raiders, will serve as the coaches for the three flag football teams to play in the March tournament in Saudi Arabia. Payton was asked about the development by reporters on Wednesday, and it became clear that — even though Carroll and Brady are colleagues in Las Vegas — Brady will be on Payton’s team in Riyadh.
“I had gotten a text from Tom [Brady], and he was explaining what the tournament was,” Payton said. “I looked at the calendar, it’s a vacation week. I don’t travel much. I think more importantly, it’s significant when it comes to growing our game with the Olympics not that far around the corner. There are three teams playing one day in a round-robin format. Then a final championship game. I don’t know if I had any conditions. One of them might have been. . . because he is playing, so it might’ve been that he’s my quarterback in that game. I have to look at 5-on-5 [flag football]. When I heard it, right away . . . I have enough headaches right now, but at some point it’ll be interesting to look at how that game is played. I think it’s a great opportunity for three or four days to travel abroad and be with some good people.”
The wire transfer will be good, too. Given the unlimited resources of Public Investment Fund, it’s safe to say that Brady, Payton, and the others who have signed up for the event have done so in exchange for a significant financial commitment.
The ability of Saudi Arabia to get involved in football landed on the radar screen the moment the country tried to corner the market on professional golf. This week’s news should be regarded as the first tangible step toward a football strategy that starts with flag — and possibly ends with tackle.
