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A lot of quarterbacks have tried to knock off Sean Payton’s New Orleans Saints teams over the years, but few of them have enjoyed much success or staying power. That includes two first-overall draft picks who ended up on the street this offseason, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers deciding against a reunion with Jameis Winston and the Carolina Panthers jettisoning Cam Newton.
In their place are two passers that Saints fans are intimately familiar with: Tom Brady and Teddy Bridgewater. Brady has been one of the NFL’s public faces, sticking around as an aging rival to Drew Brees in the record books and an almost-annual Super Bowl participant. Bridgewater backed up Brees and even took the wheel of the Saints offense for a stretch last season.
Both quarterbacks are familiar to Payton. While he’s planning to prepare for games against them as he would any other passers, he’s taken a unique approach to each of their landings in the NFC South through free agency.
Payton told ESPN’s Mike Greenberg during an appearance on the “Get Up!” morning show that he anticipates a team-wide culture change in Tampa Bay following Brady’s arrival, saying, “The thing that is most troubling is you just know he’s going to raise the bar relative to how that team then performs. We were on a text not too long ago and I finished my text back to him with hashtag ‘keep the canons quiet.’
“He kind of chuckled and I think that’s the one thing he’ll bring in such a unique way is his competitive fire. All those things that’ll elevate the play of the whole organization,” Payton added.
But what about Bridgewater, Payton’s former protege? The 27-year-old inked a three-year, $63 million contract extension and expects to start for the Panthers under Matt Rhule, in his first year as an NFL head coach. And Payton couldn’t be happier for Bridgewater to get that opportunity. The Saints coach spoke about the Bridgewater-Panthers union during an interview on The Rich Eisen Show.
“I’m thrilled for him,” Payton began. “We’ve communicated a little bit, man what a great story. And another great person. Just having a chance to be around him, we’ve had one of the better quarterback rooms that you could ever envision with Drew, Teddy, and with Taysom. Those guys were outstanding together, they all had a good sense of humor. And they could all laugh at themselves.
“I think that’s an important trait in any industry. That humility, if you will, to make fun of yourself and still stay confident. And Teddy’s gonna have that opportunity in Carolina. I’m thrilled for him, and again it’s that double-edged sword where you’re excited for him. You just wish it was in another division.”
And of course, Payton also congratulated Bridgewater from his official Twitter account when the Panthers announced he’d formally put pen to paper:
Man you know how to work these phones better than me! Appreciate ya always coach. You has a vision for me and it came to life. My dawg for life đź’Ż!!
— Teddy Bridgewater (@teddyb_h2o) March 24, 2020
Whether Brady or Bridgewater will succeed where their predecessors failed is up in the air. It’ll certainly be interesting to see how they adapt to new situations, surrounded by unfamiliar teammates and coaching staffs that are still trying to find their footing. But Payton’s going to do all he can to make sure his Saints are ready.
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