Would Denver go for Sean Payton and Tom Brady if not for Russell Wilson?

The Miami Dolphins were docked two draft picks in August after the team engaged in tampering last year.

The gist of the allegations? Miami pursued a Sean Payton / Tom Brady duo to lead them into the future. With Payton under contract with the Saints and Brady with the Buccaneers, the NFL didn’t take kindly to the situation and punished the Dolphins harshly. Even Miami owner Stephen Ross was temporarily suspended.

But clearly there was smoke there, and a not-so-secret idea that Payton and Brady wanted to work together. It begs the obvious question: would that have been a possibility in Denver this year if not for Russell Wilson’s huge contract?

On Wednesday’s  “Stokley and Zach” on 104.3 The Fan, the guys discussed the fantasy scenario. And both feel like the Broncos would’ve explored the partnership.

“We absolutely would. Because we all know the reports that came out about Miami, Tom Brady and Sean Payton last year. And that was a real possibility there. Didn’t happen, (but) those two seem like they have… there’s something there between the two,” Brandon Stokley said. “We absolutely would be doing it because Sean Payton is one of our top candidates here. If you needed a quarterback, it would just open the door for a Brady to be the quarterback here. So, yes, how cool would that be?”

The problem, of course, is the massive $245 million extension Wilson signed last summer. The Broncos can’t realistically get out of the deal any time soon, and Wilson would carry $107 million in dead cap this year, according to Spotrac. Still, it didn’t stop the fellas from dreaming.

“You’ve got a good defense, like what are you missing? There’s some offensive pieces there. You’d be getting your running back (Javonte Williams) back. Jerry Jeudy’s showing some signs of life. Tim Patrick’s coming back into the fold. There’s some real pieces on offense, but not enough. If Sean Payton comes into the mix I don’t think it’s that crazy. I think that conversation would be totally inbounds,” Zach Bye said.

With a Brady and Tampa Bay divorce likely, the Broncos could’ve made it happen, without doing anything illegal. Brady is a free agent and the Saints are openly willing to trade Payton. Again, that pesky Wilson problem is the sticking point.

“If you don’t have a quarterback, Tom Brady is going to be looking, and if he continues to play there’s not a ton of choices out there. Denver would definitely be one and that would get me excited, but now it’s like, no we’re stuck,” Stokley said.

Stuck with Wilson, even though the guys think Brady would’ve been the “perfect stopgap.” Bye suggested drafting Alabama QB Bryce Young with the No. 5 overall pick and eventually having Brady “hand him the keys.”

Of course, the Broncos had to send that draft selection to Seattle thanks to the Wilson trade. This scenario works much better if Denver had never extended Wilson — or traded for him in the first place.

“It can’t happen, it won’t happen, obviously. We could still get Sean Payton, but that would’ve been really cool,” Stokley said.

To listen to full episodes of Stokley and Zach, click here.

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