Getty Buccaneers QB Tom Brady could be on the move this offseason.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers could be looking at a quarterback change in the near future.
As noted by CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin, the Buccaneers could be looking for their replacement for Tom Brady as soon as the 2023 offseason. Brady will be a free agent entering the offseason and won’t have any shortage of suitors. Benjamin argues that the San Francisco 49ers — who could look for a short-term stopgap option following Trey Lance’s injury — and the Miami Dolphins — a potential rumored destination for Brady during this offseason — could be in play for the 45-year-old quarterback.
“Yes, really. After his 40-day retirement this offseason, Tom Brady will be a free agent after 2022, which means he’s got two avenues out of Tampa Bay if he so chooses: retirement (for real), or another relocation,” said Benjamin. “Considering all the smoke around his flirtation with the Dolphins, and the possibility of other historic landing spots emerging (see: San Francisco, depending on Trey Lance’s recovery), it’s not hard to envision TB12 forcing the Bucs to pivot at the position after three years together.”
Brady Showing No Signs of Decline
While the Buccaneers and the offensive unit has been off to a slow start, Brady is showing that there’s little sign of decline. The veteran quarterback ranks fifth in the league in passing yards and he’s thrown eight touchdowns versus just one interception. According to Pro Football Focus, Brady ranks seventh in the league in offensive grade (77.8).
During his press conference with media on Thursday, October 20, the Buccaneers quarterback indicated that there’s no sign of retirement in his near future.
“I love the sport, and I love the teammates,” Brady said. “And I want to go do a great job for this team like I always have. No retirement in my future.”
Brady Has Options Entering 2023 Offseason
The 49ers make sense as a landing spot due to the fact that they are Super Bowl contenders. San Francisco is coming off of an NFC Championship Game appearance with Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback and made an appearance in the Super Bowl at the conclusion of the 2019 season.
They also make sense because they’re Brady’s hometown team. However, the 49ers previously passed on Brady during his free agency tour back in 2020, as Seth Wickersham noted in his book, “It’s Better to Be Feared.”
“Almost as fast as the 49ers’ interest in Brady rose, it died,” Wickersham wrote. “The coaches liked Brady’s film — but didn’t love it. He was better than Garoppolo, they thought, but not that much better — not so much that it was worth trading away a locker-room leader, not to mention one who was nearly 15 years younger and coming off a Super Bowl appearance. A few days before free agency began, the 49ers decided to stick with their guy.”
With Garoppolo due to become a free agent in 2023 and likely on the way out — San Francisco shopped him in trade talks this past offseason — the 49ers probably wouldn’t pass on Brady again.
Meanwhile, the Dolphins had “impermissible contact” with Brady during the 2019 and 2021 offseasons, resulting in Miami’s owners being fined and the Dolphins being docked draft picks.
If Brady does indeed return for a 24th season, the NFL’s biggest offseason storyline will be where he decides to play during the 2023 season.