The Miami Dolphins haven't been consistently relevant since the days of Don Shula, and, to a lesser degree, Jimmy Johnson and Dave Wannstedt. Through all these years, the organization has held on to two things: Shula's 347 wins and the undefeated 1972 season.
Bill Belichick has never been one to shy away from opportunity or bending the rules if he can find an angle. Only two current active head coaches can catch Shula. Belichick and Andy Reid. Enter Sean Payton.
According to ESPN's Seth Wickersham, Payton was ready to hand Belichick the win record on a silver platter.
Sean Payton hiring Bill Belichick would have ended Don Shula's Miami Dolphins record
Payton and Belichick have a strong relationship. Both apples from the Bill Parcells tree. Belichick's departure from the Patriots left him 15 wins shy of the NFL win record. Everything for Belichick fell apart, leaving him to coach at the college level at North Carolina.
If it were up to Payton, says Wickersham, Belichick would have joined him in Denver, taken over the role of head coach until he got the record.
"Payton considered presenting Broncos owner Greg Penner a proposal for the ages: Hire Belichick as head coach until he reached 15 wins, enough to break Don Shula's career record of 347."
The plan never really materialized, however, as Wickersham explained.
"In the end, it was too complicated -- and maybe too fanciful." It would have been a perfect way for Belichick to get his hands on the record, earning it the easy way.
We don't know how close this became to being a reality, and Wickersham didn't say when exactly Payton was considering the move. Regardless, it would have been a cringeworthy way to see a long-standing record go down.
Shula's 347 wins are only 14 more than Belichick's, who has 333. If he rejoined the NFL as a head coach, he would probably eclipse the number in two seasons, depending on the team he took over.
Reid, however, does have a shot at taking the record. The Chiefs' coach has 307 wins in his career, putting him 40 shy of Shula's record. It would take four 10-win seasons to reach it. It's an achievement he hasn't talked publicly about.
Dolphins fans don't want to see the record broken, but if Shula were to drop to number two, Reid has consistently exhibited the old-school NFL class that Belichick never had. Dolphins fans could live with Reid out front if they had to, but seeing Belichick unseat Shula would be a sad day in Miami.
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