Sean Payton eager to coach Tom Brady, not worried about him in the booth

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton is doing something unique this spring.

He’ll be one of three NFL head coaches leading teams at a flag football tournament in Saudi Arabia.

The rosters are loaded, headlined by the likes of Tom Brady, Saquon Barkley, CeeDee Lamb, Christian McCaffrey, Sauce Gardner, Myles Garrett, Brock Bowers, Maxx Crosby, Tyreek Hill, Odell Beckham Jr. and Rob Gronkowski.

At his press conference on Wednesday, Sean Payton was asked how he got involved in the tournament, and he made it clear he wants the greatest QB ever to be on his squad.

“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 (Tom) is my quarterback in that game,” Payton said.

Sean Payton also explained that it’s a “vacation week” in late March, so he decided to accept the invitation.

“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,” Payton said.

And this game isn’t the only reason that Brady is in the news. He was spotted in the Raiders coaching booth during Monday Night Football against the Chargers.

Normally, that wouldn’t be a big deal, as Brady is a part owner of the Las Vegas franchise. However, because he calls games for the NFL on FOX, some think it’s a conflict of interest. Brady gets to meet with key coaches and players from teams around the league, so perhaps he’s sharing that intel with the Raiders and gaining a competitive advantage.

However, Sean Payton brushed it off.

“It doesn’t concern me. I understand he’s part ownership with a division opponent. I get that. Then he covers games. He covers NFC games. That doesn’t bother me,” Payton said.

FOX does have some AFC games, but the Broncos only have two left on their schedule the rest of this season. Those will be Week 9 against the Texans and Week 16 against the Jaguars. It’s unlikely that Brady, who’s on the No. 1 announcing crew, will be on the call for either of those contests.

It’s rare for Sean Payton to get two Tom Brady questions at any press conference, let alone during the regular season, but the NFL is always full of twists and turns that no one sees coming.

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