Would the New Orleans Saints been better with Tom Brady this season?

Just how close were we to a Sean Payton and Tom Brady led Saints squad? Terez Paylor and Charles Robinson have the answer on the latest Yahoo Sports NFL Podcast.

Video Transcript

CHARLES ROBINSON: Let me put it to you this way. Had Drew retired, Tom Brady's probably a Saint this year.

TEREZ PAYLOR: Yeah, yeah.

CHARLES ROBINSON: Honestly, like I'm just going to tell you straight-up, like--

TEREZ PAYLOR: Would they have been better off?

CHARLES ROBINSON: --I remember-- I literally remember sitting in an airport and someone from the organization asking me if I thought Drew would take a TV job. And obviously, it wasn't Sean Payton, wasn't Mickey Loomis, it was someone else in the organization. And he said, do you think Drew-- there's a chance Drew takes a TV job? And you know, I was like, ah, you know, I've talked to some guys at CAA. It sounds like there's a lot of money on the table for him.

And I was given a very, very, very, very strong indication that Tom Brady's first choice would have-- and we learned later, it was one that wasn't necessarily on the table, and everyone said, oh, it's the 49ers. Tom wanted to go to the 49ers. That's not what I heard. I heard Tom wanted to go to the Saints, and that had Drew Brees retired, that's where Tom ultimately would have ended up.

TEREZ PAYLOR: Do you think they're better off if that's the case?

CHARLES ROBINSON: Probably. I mean, if Tom was-- look, I'm sorry but, like, you put Tom--

TEREZ PAYLOR: Tom pushes it downfield.

CHARLES ROBINSON: Look what Tom has done in Tampa Bay. I think that Tom would have been fantastic in New Orleans. So I'll just say, I don't know that it means Sean would have wished Drew would have retired. I don't want to say that, because there's a immense amount of respect there. Drew's earned a lot in New Orleans, he's earned the right to walk away when he wants to. I think Sean respects that 100%. I'm just saying that--

TEREZ PAYLOR: Oh, he definitely does.

CHARLES ROBINSON: Had things played out a certain way, it would have been interesting.

TEREZ PAYLOR: Oh, he definitely does. Because in this NFL, you kind of don't-- in this league, you don't often get the chance to leave on your own accord. And he was afforded the chance to come back with that team having at least one fatal flaw, which is the vertical ball. So definitely showed the amount of respect Sean Payton had for him.