Drew Brees and Sean Payton could be competing for the same job

From master and mentee to fellow adversaries, New Orleans Saints legend Drew Brees and ex-coach Sean Payton could vie for the same job in 2022.

Following news that Troy Aikman may leave FOX Sports for ESPN’s “Monday Night Football,” there’s a high-profile media job up for grabs and plenty of rumored candidates to choose from.

Drew Brees has been enjoying retirement as an in-studio analyst with NBC on “Football Night in America” and has called the occasional NFL game with Mike Tirico.

Since taking his hiatus, Saints ex-head coach Sean Payton has laid low and may be avoiding the spotlight for the time being. In his final press conference, he said he may return to coaching in the future, and he hasn’t completely closed the door on a job in television either.

Heading into the 2022 season, both Brees and Payton are reportedly being considered for the vacant FOX Sports gig, along with former Panthers great Greg Olsen.

New Orleans Saints’ Drew Brees and Sean Payton could pursue same TV job in 2022

Troy Aikman anchored a booth alongside longtime broadcast partner Joe Buck as the top football analyst team on FOX, and Aikman’s surprise departure would certainly shake up the “free agency” of NFL television networks.

Buck still has one year left of his contract, and FOX could choose between Brees (they’d have to trade with NBC for him), Payton, and Olsen to replace Aikman. FOX will air two of the next three Super Bowls, so the network will be looking to assemble a strong, experienced broadcasting team capable of handling the pressure.

Elsewhere in media, Al Michaels, arguably the best play-caller of all time, has played out his contract with NBC and is rumored to join Amazon to call Thursday Night Football games.

Rams coach Sean McVay has also been linked to a media job, though McVay has expressed zero interest in leaving coaching for television. After coming off a Super Bowl-winning season, why would he?

We’re not going to play favorites here — we would be elated to see either Payton or Brees on TV, preferably both. It’s not quite the same as seeing them on a football field, but it’s the next best thing.