Talking with Tom Brady is going to cost the Dolphins.

The team has been stripped of a 2023 first-round draft pick and a third-round selection in 2024 for “impermissible communications” with the quarterback on several occasions, starting with the 2019-’20 season, the league announced Tuesday.

The Dolphins, who had long been linked to Brady and Sean Payton as part of a possible quarterback-coach package for the organization, also are found to have had “impermissible communications with both Mr. Brady and his agent during and after the 2021 season, while he was under contract to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.”

The apparent discussions “began no later than early December 2021 and focused on Mr. Brady becoming a limited partner in the Dolphins and possibly serving as a football executive, although at times they also included the possibility of playing for the Dolphins.”

“I had a lot of conversations with a lot of people, as I have for the last three or four years of my career, about different opportunities when I’m done playing football. I kind of made a decision of what I’d like to do. I’ll get to be in the game of football,” Brady said when asked about the accusations in June.

“I think for me, the most important thing is where I’m at now and what I can do for this team. That’s been my commitment to this team and organization.”

As for Payton, he had also been eyed as part of Miami’s future plans, with a league source telling the Boston Globe that the seven-time Super Bowl champ wanted a seasoned coach.

The investigation noted that in January 2022, the Dolphins “had impermissible communications with Don Yee, the agent for New Orleans Saints’ head coach Sean Payton, about having Mr. Payton serve as Miami’s head coach.” The findings established that “Miami did not seek consent from New Orleans to have these discussions, which occurred before Coach Payton announced his decision to retire as head coach of the Saints. Following that announcement, Miami requested permission to speak to Coach Payton for the first time, which New Orleans declined to grant.”

Brady initially announced his plans to retire on Feb. 1 after 22 seasons in the league. Hours later, former Dolphins coach Brian Flores filed a lawsuit against the league alleging racial discrimination and named the Dolphins, Broncos, and Giants in the suit. The lawsuit derailed plans of a possible Brady-Payton union.

The league also investigated Flores’ claims that Ross attempted to incentivize him to have the team tank. The league’s investigation established that the Dolphins “did not intentionally lose games during the 2019 season,” and that “such a comment,” regarding an apparent incentive, “was not intended or taken to be a serious offer.”

Flores addressed the findings Tuesday in a statement.

“I am thankful that the NFL’s investigator found my factual allegations against Stephen Ross are true. At the same time, I am disappointed to learn that the investigator minimized Mr. Ross’s offers and pressure to tank games especially when I wrote and submitted a letter at the time to Dolphins executives documenting my serious concerns regarding this subject at the time which the investigator has in her possession. While the investigator found that the Dolphins had engaged in impermissible tampering of ‘unprecedented scope and severity,’ Mr. Ross will avoid any meaningful consequence. There is nothing more important when it comes to the game of football itself than the integrity of the game.  When the integrity of the game is called into question, fans suffer, and football suffers,” Flores said in his statement.  

As a result of the violations, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross has been suspended through Oct. 17, 2022, and is not allowed to be at the team’s facility during this time. He has also been fined $1.5 million and has been indefinitely removed from all league committees.

Ross addressed the investigation Tuesday in a statement.

“The independent investigation cleared our organization on any issues related to tanking and all of Brian Flores other allegations. As I have said all along, these allegations were false, malicious and defamatory, and this issue is now put to rest. With regards to tampering, I strongly disagree with the conclusions and the punishment. However, I will accept the outcome because the most important thing is that there be no distractions for our team as we begin an exciting and winning season. I will not allow anything to get in the way of that,” Ross said.

Brady has since announced his return to the Buccaneers for a 23rd NFL season, with his future plans already solidified at Fox Sports, where he’ll be the lead NFL analyst.