Getty Tom Brady was barely retired before the comeback rumors already started.
Not everyone is buying the idea that Tom Brady is fully retired as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers continue to mull replacement options this offseason. The Athletic’s Mike Sando reported there is some belief around the league that Brady “retired” as part of a plan to orchestrate a trade.
Where would Brady want to be traded if he were to continue playing? Sando suggests that Brady would still love to play for the 49ers, who just so happen to have a quarterback they are looking to deal. Brady is technically under contract with the Bucs for another season and would need either a trade or his release to play for another team in 2022.
“Brady might not have been willing to force a trade from the Buccaneers to the 49ers, which could have gotten messy and affected his legacy in a negative way, while straining relationships in Tampa that he surely values very much,” Sando explained.
“By retiring, Brady has gracefully told the Buccaneers he will not play for them again. Tampa Bay has less reason to play hardball with Brady when there’s no chance he will play for them. By leaving open the door to play again, Brady is in position to accept a trade if one can be worked out. He never has to be the bad guy. He doesn’t really have to do anything.”
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NFL Exec on Brady’s Retirement: ‘I Do Think It Was a Good Strategy for Him’
Sando is not the first person to suggest some version of this Brady trade to the 49ers, but it notable that there is some buzz around the NFL that the quarterback is using his retirement as a way to keep his future options option. One NFL executive agreed with Sando’s theory on Brady.
“That makes a lot of sense,” the NFL exec told Sando, “and I do think it was a good strategy for him to do this in two pieces to say, ‘I’m retiring,’ and then a few days later say, ‘Well, I never say never, but I don’t ever anticipate playing again.'”
Would the Bucs Consider a Trade for Jimmy G?
Ideally, the Buccaneers’ preference would be for Brady to play in Tampa if he is going to suit up in 2022. Chances are Brady is serious about his retirement decision, but the legendary quarterback left the door open to a potential comeback which has prompted this sort of speculation.
For all the potential of hurt feelings, being able to use Brady as a trade chip would be more useful for the Buccaneers than his outright retirement. Would the Buccaneers consider a trade for Jimmy Garoppolo?
“San Francisco is expected to work with Garoppolo to find an agreeable destination as the 49ers transition toward 2021 first-round pick Trey Lance … or Brady?” Sando added. “Garoppolo and Brady have the same agent, which could be convenient if Brady wants to play for the 49ers and there’s a way to make it happen.”
The 49ers Passed on Signing Brady in 2020
The Niners passed on Brady when he was a free agent in 2020, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. Chances are they would love a do-over, and Sando is not the only one to float a Brady to San Francisco trade. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio suggested something similar even before Brady announced his retirement.
“We don’t know the truth about this because Brady would never admit to it,” Florio detailed on January 24. “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?
“Where would that be? Well, his first choice two years ago was San Francisco. (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.”