One of the Miami Dolphins’ most cherished records nearly came under attack from an unexpected villain who has already cost the franchise dearly
The Miami Dolphins’ most precious all-time win record nearly came under assault from an unexpected threat. And there’s a new villain to remember.
The Miami Dolphins have plenty of all-time villains, but there’s a new name steadily working his way up the list.
His name is Sean Payton. ESPN’s Seth Wickersham, who followed the Denver Broncos throughout the 2025 playoffs, revealed a stunning nugget on Tuesday morning about Payton’s tenure with the Broncos. Payton allegedly considered taking a demotion for his own team to allow the Broncos to hire Bill Belichick as the team’s head coach in 2024. The purpose behind it? Helping Belichick surpass Dolphins legendary coach Don Shula’s all-time wins record. The move was never formally proposed, but for Dolphins fans, the mere suggestion is enough to make Payton an even more permanent antagonist than he’s already become for *other* reasons.
Sean Payton’s recent tangled history with the Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins have already lost more than games on account of Payton before. Remember, Miami reportedly explored Payton as a head coaching option while he was in retirement before the coach ultimately landed in Denver. And the franchise paid for it. The Dolphins received tampering charges for inquiring about Payton through inappropriate communication back in 2022. Payton went to the Broncos the following year, in 2023. And it looked like Miami collected their own revenge.
The Dolphins hung 70 points on Payton’s Denver squad that season, one of the most explosive point totals in NFL history. That appeared to be that. But it almost wasn’t.
Bill Belichick’s bid to best Don Shula spoiled
From Bill Belichick’s perspective, such a move would have been his best chance at passing Shula. He sits in the same place in total wins, with 333 total, as he did back in early 2024 after finishing a 4-13 season with the Patriots: 14 wins short of a tie with Don Shula, one more short of the all-time wins record.
Denver, of course, has won 24 games over the last two seasons, plus a divisional round win against the Buffalo Bills earlier this year. That would have been it — assuming Belichick’s presence wouldn’t have foiled the chemistry the Broncos have since found. Thankfully, this idea from Payton was simply that. An idea.
But it won’t be one Miami Dolphins fans should forget, even as Belichick sunsets his coaching career in Chapel Hill with the North Carolina Tar Heels program. Few things are more near and dear to the Miami Dolphins and the history of the NFL than Don Shula’s legacy. So even if Payton wasn’t the one responsible for Miami’s tampering back in 2022, his name is still associated with a costly penalty that helped accelerate the roster’s decline. And that, plus this latest development, has me moving Payton up the “Dolphins villains” list.
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