Getty Tom Brady's off-field challenges took a toll in 2022.
Amid the Tampa Bay Buccaneers entering an uncertain future after quarterback Tom Brady, NFL insider Mike Florio dared to say that members of the organization are “relieved” at the new chapter.
Brady, 45, retired on February 1 after an illustrious 23-year career with seven Super Bowl wins, but his final season looked arguably the most challenging. The Bucs stumbled to 8-9 with a blowout playoff loss as Brady struggled with a high-profile divorce off the field and a banged-up offensive line to protect him on the field.
“What a mess of distractions last year with everything that was going on with Brady,” Florio said on WDAE via JoeBucsFan.com. “And to be free from that, to be beyond that, I think there’s going to be a lot of [Bucs] who are relieved, and rejuvenated and recharged this year.”
Brady’s off-field issues simmered throughout the season, starting with training camp when he took an unexpected 11-day break. He commented about difficulties in life shortly after his return. Rumors of a divorce between him and Gisele Bundchen swirled in the entertainment media as the Bucs stumbled to 3-5.
Brady then lost a third-consecutive game for the first time ever as a starter on October 27 when the Bucs fell to the Baltimore Ravens, the day before both Brady and Bundchen publicly announced the divorce on social media. After the Ravens loss, Brady sat in the locker room with his head buried in his hands for more than 10 minutes before he addressed the media.
Things looked a little better as the Bucs won two-straight games going into the bye week, but Brady couldn’t pull the team out of mediocrity. While Brady publicly expressed focus on his children and football, the Bucs lost three of four games after the bye. It took a comeback overtime win and a monster passing game by Brady to win the NFC South amid swirling rumors about his 2023 destination.
While Brady doubled down about his focus on the 2022 season, he couldn’t lead the Bucs past the Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card round in January. He suffered his first-ever loss to the team as he completed only 53% of his passes for 5.3 yards per completion.
Bucs Are ‘Going to Feel It’
Tampa Bay gets a new beginning with Brady gone, and Florio sees that as an advantage for the 2023 team.
“They’re not going to come out and say it, but I think they’re going to feel it, and I think that’s good for the Buccaneers,” Florio added.
The Bucs will look to quarterback Baker Mayfield, who signed as a free agent in March, or third-year quarterback Kyle Trask, if he can win the job, to lead the team next. The Bucs also worked around a dire salary cap situation of around $55 million over the cap this offseason as the team kept numerous key players from the Super Bowl run. That includes linebacker Lavonte David and cornerback Jamel Dean.
Bowles Faced ‘Unique Circumstances’ With Brady
Second-year Bucs head coach Todd Bowles, who previously served as the defensive coordinator, looks to prove that last season was an anomaly for the team. The Bucs went 24-9 with most of the same roster the previous two seasons and won a Super Bowl in the 2020 season.
“It was a lot of unique circumstances last year but overall we’re pleased with how Todd handled the season,” Bucs co-owner Joel Glazer told JoeBucsFan.com.
Bowles took over as the head coach in March 2022 after Bruce Arians stepped down. Glazer acknowledged that was a challenge for Bowles as well.
“He started the season late,” Glazer told JoeBucsFanc.com. “Usually, a coach gets hired earlier in the hiring cycle, so I think Todd was at a disadvantage. But I think there was some good last season, there were positives. Collectively, everybody would have liked a better end result but overall I think he handled the team well. Our defense played well and Todd always has the defense ready to go.”