Tom Brady teaming up with Sean Payton in 2023 wouldn’t surprise ex-Falcons coach Mike Smith “one bit” (EXCLUSIVE)

Tom Brady and Sean Payton were bitter rivals when Payton coached the New Orleans Saints and Brady starred for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Now, there's a real chance they could team up, according to former Atlanta Falcons coach Mike Smith.

Payton is a highly sought after coaching prospect this offseason and Brady's name will be on most teams' lists when free agency begins.

Smith wouldn't be surprised by the future Hall of Famers pairing up:

"There's other people that are saying that he may want to hook up with a specific coach. And there's a coach that's out of the you know, out of the certain circuit right now that's been mentioned at five places it wouldn't surprise me one bit if those two got together, because they tried to get together to go to Miami last year and it all got blown up and the owner ended up having to be disciplined by the NFL."

According to Smith, the Miami Dolphins tried to pair Payton with Brady but failed. Other teams might try the same tactic this offseason.

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What are Tom Brady's options this year? Mike Smith says not to forget about joining Fox

Aside from playing for a new team, Tom Brady always has the option to go another route.

Smith also speculated about retirement from the NFL. Brady has a major payday waiting for him with the Fox NFL broadcasting team, so he doesn't have to stay playing if he doesn't want to:

"So Tom Brady is a free agent. He doesn't have to go back and play in Tampa, he's not under contract, he can go anywhere in the league. And, you know, there's some wild press ideas out there about what might happen with him, you know, he can go to TV, right? He's got that in his back pocket."

All options are on the table for Brady. He can join his hometown team, the San Francisco 49ers. He can join his old team, the New England Patriots.

Might a reunuion be in store for Tom Brady?

He could join his old offensive coordinator in Las Vegas with the Raiders. He can start throwing to Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill in Miami if he wants to.

The most exciting option, as Smith alluded to, would be Payton and Brady, former rivals, teaming up to wreak havoc on the NFL.

Several teams have coach openings, including the Indianapolis Colts, Carolina Panthers, Arizona Cardinals and Denver Broncos. Might one of these teams be the lucky recipient of that incredible duo?