Tom Brady Predicted to Bolt Bucs for $35 Million Contract With Playoff Team

Getty Tom Brady's future with the Buccaneers remains uncertain.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are heading into the team’s playoff matchup against the Dallas Cowboys with plenty of buzz that it could be Tom Brady’s last game wearing black, pewter and red. Brady will be a free agent in March, and the Bucs are unable to use the franchise tag on the star quarterback.

The NFL legend could retire for good this offseason, but rumors continue to swirl that Brady will consider suiting up for another team in 2023. CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin offered his predictions for the upcoming quarterback carousel and projects Brady will sign a one-year, $35 million contract with the Dolphins. The analyst also labeled the Raiders and Titans as additional threats to the Buccaneers’ attempt to re-sign Brady.

“Retirement is theoretically on the table after Brady, 45, briefly walked away from the game after the 2021 season,” Benjamin wrote on January 10, 2023. “But it feels more likely he’ll be back, if only to improve on a mostly plodding 2022, and especially if he has more attractive suitors as a free agent. The fit has to be right, but even as a strictly win-now target, he still offers enough arm talent and elite crunch-time vision to draw interest from around the league.

“Las Vegas and Tennessee could be on his radar because of connections to ex-Patriots Josh McDaniels and Mike Vrabel, but Miami stands out as an ideal destination: he’s already in Florida, he and the Dolphins entertained a team-up before his retirement, he’d get at least two shots to beat his old pals in New England, plus premium coaching and weapons. The Dolphins, meanwhile, already need insurance for Tua Tagovailoa, and adding Brady wouldn’t necessarily erase Tua’s long-term prospects in town.”

Brady Is ‘Lining Up Places,’ Says NFL Exec

The Athletic’s Mike Sando quoted one NFL executive who stated there is chatter in league circles that Brady is “lining up places where he wants to go” in 2023. It will be interesting to see if a deep playoff run could entice Brady to return to the Buccaneers.

“One of the executives quoted above said Sunday morning that there’s buzz in league circles that Brady is ‘lining up places where he wants to go’ next season,” Sando detailed on January 2. “Brady’s contract voids after this season. The Raiders could provide a natural landing spot with Brady’s former New England offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels, in place as Las Vegas’ head coach.”

Brady’s Market Value Is Projected to Be a 2-Year, $81.7 Million Contract

Brady will be 46 years old when next season kicks off, but that it unlikely to stop multiple teams from lining up to sign the seven-time Super Bowl champion. Spotrac projects Brady’s market value to be a two-year, $81.7 million deal, which would give the quarterback a sizable raise from his current $15 million contract. The NFL revealed that Brady was in contact with the Dolphins during the 2021 season attempting to pair the star quarterback with longtime Saints head coach Sean Payton.

“The Dolphins again had impermissible communications with both Mr. Brady and his agent during and after the 2021 season, while he was under contract to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers,” the NFL announced in an August 2 press release. “Those discussions began no later than early December 2021 and focused on Mr. Brady becoming a limited partner in the Dolphins and possibly serving as a football executive, although at times they also included the possibility of his playing for the Dolphins. Both Mr. Ross and Beal were active participants in these discussions.”

With Tua Tagovailoa’s unfortunate recent string of concussions, the young quarterback’s future remains uncertain. The Dolphins could once again emerge as suitors for Brady in March, a possibility that appeared to be off the table after Tagovailoa’s play this season.