The story of Drew Brees landing with the New Orleans Saints is a famous bit of NFL lore at this point.

After suffering a torn labrum late in the 2005–06 season with the San Diego Chargers, Brees turned down an offer to remain with the team, and opened negotiations with the Saints and the Miami Dolphins. Nick Saban, entering his second year with the Dolphins, was looking to upgrade from Gus Frerotte after a 9–7 debut season, but Brees wasn't medically cleared by the franchise's medical staff, leading him into the arms of first-year coach Sean Payton and the Saints.

During an appearance on The Pivot podcast with his ESPN colleague Ryan Clark, Saban retold the story.

"That was the problem in Miami. We never had a quarterback, and we had Drew Brees there ready to sign, and the doctors failed him on the physical," Saban said. "The last thing before you sign a contract, you go get a physical. So I'm like, 'This is all done,' and they call me on the phone and say, 'We don't think he can play.'"

Saban said he had met with Dr. James Andrews, who had performed Brees's shoulder surgery as well as the knee surgery on the other quarterback that the team was pursuing, the Minnesota Vikings' Daunte Culpepper. While Andrews cautioned Saban that Brees was more likely to fully recover than Culpepper, Saban didn't think he could go over the heads of Miami's medical team.

"You can't call up the owner and say, 'We're going to sign this guy and give him all this money,' ... and he might not be able to play," Saban said. The legendary coach said he agreed not to mention Brees's physical with other teams, and within a few days, the quarterback signed in New Orleans, where he'd immediately blossom as one of the NFL's elite players and the greatest player in franchise history. The Dolphins proceeded to trade for Culpepper, who was limited to just four games with Miami, and Saban returned to college to coach Alabama at the end of the season.

The other legendary coach in the equation appears to have some issues with Saban's retelling of the story. In reaction to the clip, Payton, now the coach of the Denver Broncos, posted, "A little bit missing in this piece..."

It's unclear what Payton means with the cryptic message, but it adds some intrigues to one of the great what ifs in NFL history. Without Brees's failed physical, the Saints may not have won a Super Bowl, Payton and Brees may not be Hall of Fame-bound and who knows whether Saban would've made the fateful jump to Tuscaloosa?

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Sean Payton Cryptically Questions Nick Saban's Story of Dolphins' Drew Brees Pursuit.