Getty Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians and Tom Brady talking pregame ahead of an NFL contest.
As the NFL world awaits Tom Brady’s decision on his future, one insider speculated that the legendary quarterback may not want to wear a Tampa Bay Buccaneers uniform next season. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio pointed to Brady’s abrupt change of direction on potentially retiring after initially committing to playing next season as an indication that the Bucs quarterback believes the roster around him will be significantly worse in 2022.
“Here’s another possibility, one that is pure speculation but can’t be ignored,” Florio noted on January 24. “What if Brady is hoping to wiggle out of Tampa and go to a team that he thinks will be better suited to get him to his eighth Super Bowl win?
“We don’t know the truth about this because Brady would never admit to it. Given the current gap between the Rams and Buccaneers, however, it’s hard not to wonder whether Brady, if he continues to play, will want to roll another set of loaded dice?” Florio wrote.
“Brady would have to finesse his way out of Tampa. He signed a one-year extension in 2021, primarily to reduce his cap number. If he asks the Buccaneers to trade or release him, maybe they would. Maybe, when he agreed to extend his contract last year, he sought and received a wink-nod commitment that he’ll be released, if he asks to be, after 2021.”
One potential landing spot if Brady requests a trade in this hypothetical scenario: Brady’s hometown team. The San Francisco 49ers just so happen to have two capable quarterbacks on the roster making them an intriguing trade candidate.
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Could Brady Finally Land With the 49ers?
By far, the two most likely options for Brady are either to retire or play another season with the Buccaneers. That said, the Buccaneers do have Brady under contract for one more year, and a blockbuster trade featuring the legendary quarterback is technically possible. Tampa Bay would only explore this option if pressed by Brady to play elsewhere.
What is the trade value for a great quarterback who may only play another season? It is far-fetched to think the Niners would give up Trey Lance just one year after trading up to the No. 3 spot to snag their quarterback of the future. Jimmy Garoppolo could be a more realistic target for the Buccaneers given the 49ers may explore trading him this offseason.
“Where would that be? Well, his first choice two years ago was San Francisco,” Florio added. “(They passed.) How about a year for Brady, as Trey Lance continues to develop? Lance would get to watch and learn from the best ever for a year. And the 49ers, a final-four team despite having a quarterback who isn’t even in the top 20, could add Brady to a highly-talented roster and a brilliant coaching staff (his former teammate, Wes Welker, works there) and finally get their sixth Super Bowl win.
“Regardless, the sudden confusion regarding Brady’s status for 2021 is far more stunning than most are treating it. While retirement seems to be the far more likely option, it’s impossible to rule out the possibility that Brady will indeed honor his longstanding commitment to play until his 45 — and that maybe he’ll do what he can to wrap up with career with the 49ers.”
The Niners Turned Down Brady During the 2020 Free Agency: Report
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer said in a July 23, 2021, conversation on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” that Brady initially wanted to sign with the 49ers when he became a free agent in 2020. It was the Niners that passed on Brady, instead choosing to ride with Garoppolo for another season.
We now know the rest of the story as one offseason later the 49ers would attempt to move on from Garoppolo by trading up in the draft for Lance. Brady opted to sign with the Buccaneers and went on to win the Super Bowl during his first season in Tampa.
“I can tell you that the Brady thing in the spring was sort of interesting,” Breer detailed during the October 15, 2020, edition of The Ryen Russillo Podcast. “You know, the way it worked was basically Brady got word to them [49ers] that I would be willing to go here and if you guys are interested, you’re going to be at the top of my list. So, that sort of caused John Lynch, Kyle Shanahan, everybody in that organization to take a deep breath and say, ‘Okay, we need to consider this.’
“So, a handful of guys went and broke down Brady’s tape over like a two or a three-day period, and they all came back with the conclusion Brady can still really play. This would be a really good option.
“Then, what they did was they turned around and said, ‘Okay, now let’s go look at Jimmy’s tape.’ For them, it reaffirmed a lot of the things that they thought about Jimmy, and so that was great for Jimmy that he kind of got that reaffirmation that I’m the guy again. But Ryen, the thing for me is, if you were willing to open up that question, that tells me that maybe you’re a little closer to looking at Jimmy Garoppolo like, say, Vegas looks at Derek Carr than you are how Kansas City looks at Pat Mahomes.”
Here go the media spreading false rumors again!!
send his ass to Detroit since he wants to claim the title of goat