Love them or hate them, no one can deny the Dallas Cowboys are America's Team.The Cowboys dominate the headlines on major sports shows regardless of their record and somehow got mentioned during the 2026 Hall of Fame ceremonies even though they had no players being inducted.This year, the class was Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald, Luke Kuechly, Adam Vinatieri, and Roger Craig. Brees was arguably the biggest name in the group and he was the one who couldn't get through his speech without mentioning the Cowboys.Brees was sharing his appreciation for his former head coach Sean Payton and shaded the Cowboys in doing so. Brees said Payton wanted to soak in the celebration after beating Dallas, where Payton spent three seasons as an assistant coach."I miss the three-hour flights home from Dallas to New Orleans after a big win, by the way, that's supposed to be an hour flight. But Sean would have the pilot circle ten times so we could soak up the celebration," Brees says.His comment was harmless fun, but the fact that Brees felt the need to mention Dallas during his Hall of Fame speech is another reminder that America's Team tends to find its way into the conversation, even when the Cowboys aren't involved.Sean Payton became a star with the Dallas CowboysNew Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton on the sidelines in the second half against the Dallas Cowboys. | USA TODAY SportsPayton began his coaching career as an offensive assistant with San Diego State in 1988, but it was in 2003 when he became a star. Working as the quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator under Bill Parcells helped him develop into one of the hottest young coaching candidates in the game.He turned that successful run into a head coaching job with the Saints, where he went 241-152 and won a Super Bowl. Payton joined the Denver Broncos in 2023 and has a record of 51-32 in those three seasons and was in the AFC Championship Game last year.Payton has remained close with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and has a home in Dallas. Despite his long tenure in New Orleans, Payton was often linked to the Cowboys as a potential head coach whenever there were whispers of a potential coaching change. The stars never aligned for a reunion, and the Cowboys are hopeful they won't be looking for a new coach anytime soon.— Sign up for the Cowboys Daily Digest newsletter for more free coverage from Dallas Cowboys on SI —Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow