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Sean Payton Says He Tried Convincing Giants to Draft Tom Brady in 2000

After more than two decades spent coaching in the NFL, Sean Payton has a trophy case that’s plenty full. But like any football lifer, the successes come with missteps and missed opportunities.

Speaking as a guest on the Green Light podcast with Chris Long on Friday (April 8), Payton recalled perhaps his biggest NFL draft-related regret, when, as an assistant for the Giants, he tried (and failed) to convince his team to draft a relatively low-profile quarterback from Michigan: Tom Brady.

As Payton recalls, he and Brady shared the same agent, Don Yee, who called up Payton and asked if he could talk with Brady to help him out in advance of the NFL combine.