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A return by retired Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady could bring him back to the AFC, former NFL coach Eric Mangini says.
Mangini, who coached as an assistant with the New England Patriots during Brady’s time there, believes Brady could thrive in Las Vegas. Former Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels took the head coaching job there in January. McDaniels coached Brady from 2012 to 2019 before Brady left as a free agent for Tampa Bay in 2020.
“I always go back to the idea of whether it’s Josh McDaniels, whether it’s the New England Patriots … going to a place where he can step in immediately and be effective in the system that he knows. That’s his best opportunity to continue to be successful,” Mangini said on FS1’s “First Things First” on Feb. 23.
Many of Brady’s unretirement rumors have led to him joining his hometown San Francisco 49ers. That would be a whole new coaching staff, which longtime Bucs beat writer Rick Stroud believes Brady wouldn’t want. Stroud has been covering the Bucs for the Tampa Bay Times since 1990.
“They [the Bucs] believe he would play here because at 45, does he really want to go to another team, learn a new offense, new players, all of that,” Stroud said on “The Rich Eisen Show” on Feb. 24. “Or they know or he knows that the Bucs will do everything they can to mortgage more future, bring in any player they want if he wants and try to make another run at it.”
The Raiders were one of the teams that made a run at Brady in 2020 before he signed with the Bucs.
Tall Task to Acquire Tom
Any team dreaming of acquiring Brady from the Bucs has a slew of obstacles — starting with Brady himself.
Brady, who announced his retirement on Feb. 1, reiterated his satisfaction on the decision during his Feb. 14 “Let’s Go!” podcast. He’s been busy with family and his business ventures as he’s shared on social media.
“I’m super content and happy with how I feel in my decision,” Brady told host Jim Gray. “All you can do is take it day by day, nothing’s promised for us. I’m gonna do things I really enjoy and spend time with people that I really enjoy spending time with.”
The Bucs own Brady’s rights and plan to place him on the retired/reserve list after June 1 according to Greg Auman of The Athletic. Rights to Brady can stay with Tampa Bay for a while. The Indianapolis Colts, for instance, held rights for two seasons after Andrew Luck’s shocking retirement according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. Brady’s contract with the Bucs runs through the 2022 season and has a voidable year in 2023 per Spot Trac.
Tampa Bay would either need to trade or release Brady until then.
Something to Rob Gronkowski’s Prediction on Brady?
If Brady stays put in retirement, longtime teammate Rob Gronkowski believes Brady could return in two years.
“The guy can play at any age,” Gronkowski said according to USA Today’s Josh Peters. “If he’s 50 years old, he can still come back. I think he’s going to come back but in a couple of years. The guy’s a beast. He can play anytime.”
Brady’s last voidable year with the Bucs is 2023, and rumors have persisted about a rift between him and head coach Bruce Arians. With that said, Stroud maintained on Eisen’s show that there wasn’t a major rift and doesn’t anticipate Brady going elsewhere.
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