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The New Orleans Saints are set to watch Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill battle it out to replace the recently-retired Drew Brees during training camp.
But in a parallel universe, Tom Brady might have been a member of the Saints.
Let us explain. Once Brady hit free agency back in March of 2020, it became increasingly clear that he was going to leave the New England Patriots after winning six Super Bowls in two decades with the organization.
Among the teams linked to Brady were these New Orleans Saints. The one hiccup? The aforementioned Brees opted to play one more season. This led to recent speculation that the Saints were close to signing Brady. While that has not been confirmed, New Orleans’ brass is not denying that it had interest in landing the seven-time champion.
New Orleans Saints were in fact interested in signing Tom Brady
“All I can say is this. As soon as Drew made the decision that he was gonna play again last year, then that’s the route we were going. That’s probably all I’m gonna say to that,” Saints general manager Mickey Loomis told NFL reporter Adam Schein in a recent podcast.
The Saints were in somewhat of a holding pattern early on during the 2020 NFL offseason. That could very well be one of the reasons Tom Terrific landed in Tampa Bay and ultimately led the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl title in his first season with the team.
Brees, 42, opted to return for a 20th NFL season, throwing for 2,942 yards with 24 touchdowns and just six interceptions. However, it became increasingly clear as the season progressed that he was hitting that inevitable wall we’ve seen from other great quarterbacks of the past.
For their part, the New Orleans Saints finished with a 12-4 record and as the AFC South champions before falling to the Brady-led Buccaneers in the divisional round of the playoffs.
As for Brady and his Buccaneers, the rest is history. Continuing to spit in the face of Father Time, the 43-year-old Brady threw for 4,633 yards with 40 touchdowns against 12 interceptions. He then led Tampa to an upset win over Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV.
Fast forward several months, and the Buccaneers are again odds-on favorites to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. Meanwhile, the New Orleans Saints are set to embark on a season of transition with either Winston or Hill under center.