Getty New England Patriots QB Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick.
Could Tom Brady already be plotting his football life after the New England Patriots?
With rumors heating up that this could be Brady’s last season in New England, there has already been massive speculation as to where the six-time Super Bowl champion will play if he decides to continue his career after 2019.
With this being the last year he’s under contract with the Patriots, the realistic possibility looms that Brady could leave New England.
According to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, if that situation plays out, the one team that Brady is eyeing is a Patriots AFC rival — the Los Angeles Chargers.
“While Tom Brady’s future became a major topic of conversation around the NFL this week, the future Hall of Fame quarterback is focused solely on trying to win a record seventh Lombardi Trophy in New England,” La Canfora wrote.
“However, should he look to play elsewhere in 2020, several sources who know him well believe there would be one team to clearly watch: the Los Angeles Chargers. “… The Chargers would have a unique appeal to Brady on multiple levels, the sources said, while it’s also something the league would covet given the Chargers’ current struggles to sell PSLs and sponsorships at the glistening new stadium they will share with the Rams in Inglewood beginning next fall.”
Does Tom Brady Playing With the Chargers Make Sense?
Although it’s hard to envision Brady playing in a uniform that doesn’t have the “Patriots” team name on it, did we really ever foresee Peyton Manning playing in a Denver Broncos uniform or Joe Montana in a Kansas City Chiefs jersey?
The idea of Brady playing for the Chargers isn’t a crazy one. Business interests aside, the move makes sense from a football perspective. Philip Rivers is on the verge of turning 38 years old this season and has led Los Angeles to a disappointing 3-5 record to start the year. The Chargers were expected to be Super Bowl contenders this season — some media publications even predicted a Super Bowl win — and they’re likely going to miss the playoffs this season.
Brady is originally from California, San Mateo to be exact, which is about six hours north of where the Chargers play. When you factor in that Los Angeles already has skilled position players in Keenan Allen, Hunter Henry and Austin Ekeler, the addition of Brady could lift them from fringe playoff contender into a Super Bowl one.
Max Kellerman Proposes Brady-for-Rivers Trade
While this is a crazy idea to picture, ESPN’s First Take host Max Kellerman proposed a straight-up swap between the Patriots and Chargers. The trade would send Brady for Rivers and finally answer the age-old question of who is responsible for New England’s success: Brady or Bill Belichick?
“It’s always been, ‘Is it more Brady or Belichick?’ I got a solution to figure it out,” Kellerman said Monday on ESPN’s “First Take.” “There have been some rumors that wouldn’t the Los Angeles Chargers be a good place for Tom Brady? Philip Rivers has never gotten over the hump, right?
Well, there’s no better experiment to do because their cupboard is bare at backup quarterback in New England, but if Brady went to Los Angeles, Philip Rivers would be available. Let’s see if it’s Brady or Belichick.
Send Tom Brady to Los Angeles and we’ll find out who does better, Brady on a loaded team that somehow can’t get it done or Philip Rivers with Belichick. My money is on Philip Rivers with Belichick. Let’s see what happens.”
What do you think, Patriots fans?
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Patriots Rumors: Tom Brady Eyeing to Play for AFC Rival in 2020