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The Cincinnati Bengals became the latest team to lose a star quarterback and join the Tom Brady comeback rumor party, but this one might be different.
That’s what Athlon Sports’ Cameron Flynn wrote in the wake of quarterback Joe Burrow‘s season-ending injury. Flynn listed Brady, the former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback, as one of four free agents for the Bengals with the others as Matt Ryan, Nick Foles, and Colt McCoy.
“You didn’t think we’d leave Brady off this list, did you?,” Flynn quipped. “The 46-year-old soon-to-be Hall of Famer has made it pretty clear that he has no plans to unretire and return to the NFL in 2023, however, that was before throwing to Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins became a possibility.”
Brady left New England after 20 seasons to throw to an elite group of pass catches in Tampa Bay — Chris Godwin and Mike Evans. Chase and Higgins would give Brady another dynamic duo to target.
Chase has 71 receptions for 833 yards and six touchdowns this season. Higgins has 27 catches for 328 yards and two touchdowns.
“Signing Brady is probably the most unlikely scenario here – but if the Bengals want a shot at a Super Bowl this season and Tom wants to add another ring, Cincinnati should at least pick up the phone,” Flynn wrote.
Bengals Are Built to Win Now
The Bengals are built to win now with top-notch skill players, and Brady could jump in and run the show. Cincinnati has a third stud receiver in Tyler Boyd, who has 47 catches for 439 yards and two touchdowns. In addition, Brady could have run support with running back Joe Mixon, who has 153 carries for 605 yards and four touchdowns this season.
Brady wouldn’t have the easiest time behind the Bengals’ offensive line, ranked 23rd by Pro Football Focus. However, Brady will have plenty of options to distribute the ball quickly.
Cincinnati has a defense that can get the job done on the other side of the ball. The Bengals allow 22.6 points and 386.1 yards per game.
Many of the players on both sides of the ball are seasoned playoff veterans, too. Cincinnati reached the AFC Championship Game last season and the Super Bowl the year before.
Tom Brady ‘a Competitor a Heart’
Brady celebrated his legacy in New England to kick off his first year of his retirement in September.
That doesn’t mean Brady couldn’t end this year on the football field in orange and possibly with black stripes. A to Z Sports’ Rob Leeds noted “Brady is a competitor at heart” and could attract the Bengals or the Cleveland Browns, which lost Deshaun Watson to a season-ending shoulder injury this week.
“It might be hard to pull off the rare un-retirement for the second time, but if Brady really does want to play high-level football after taking time for himself, it is hard to imagine any better options showing themselves down the line,” Leeds wrote.
“One can at least safely bet that at least one of these teams is going to/has already reached out to the GOAT to see where his feelings are at,” Leeds continued. “Crazier things have happened. Don’t rule it out yet.”
If Brady did that and hoisted an eighth Lombardi Trophy with a third different team in Las Vegas, he could make his legacy “even more impossible to copy”, Leeds wrote.
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