Sean Payton: Bucs Lost 2014 Finale on Purpose to Secure No. 1 Pick

Back in 2014, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers finished with the worst record in the league, and won themselves the privilege of picking first overall in the 2015 NFL Draft.

That landed them the opportunity to have their pick of the top quarterback prospects in that class, choosing between Florida State's Jameis Winston and Oregon's Marcus Mariota.

But how did they make sure they landed that top pick over the Tennessee Titans? According to New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton, they did it by ensuring a fourth-quarter comeback for their NFC South rivals in Week 17.

Payton says the Bucs tanked on purpose, pulling their starters and blowing a big lead to Payton's Saints in order to secure the No. 1 overall pick (via The Athletic's Greg Auman):

Heck, they lost the game on purpose to us at the end of the season prior with Lovie Smith,” Payton said Thursday in an interview with 105.7 The Fan (7:40 mark) in Baltimore as he discussed his new backup quarterback, former Tampa Bay starter Jameis Winston. “They forced Lovie to take his starters out of the game so they could get the one spot to draft Jameis.

Though the Bucs would obviously never admit to such a thing, anyone who watched the game could tell it sure looked to be going down the way Payton claims. Tampa Bay had a strong hold on the game in the third quarter, leading 20-7 after picking off Brees three times, including twice in the end zone to kill would-be scoring drives.

The tide turned in the fourth quarter, though. The Saints stormed back and won 23-20, giving Tampa Bay the No. 1 overall pick, which they used on Winston. As fate would have it, Winston just signed with the Saints as a free agent this offseason after five seasons in Tampa Bay.