Chargers reportedly the team to watch if Tom Brady leaves Patriots

Speculation is growing that Tom Brady may not finish his Hall of Fame career with the New England Patriots, but the 42-year-old would have to be open to playing for another team in order for that to happen. Could that team be the Los Angeles Chargers?

Brady would be intrigued by the possibility of playing for the Chargers if his time with the Patriots ever did come to an end, sources close to the quarterback told Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. The most obvious reason for that is that Brady trains in Southern California during the offseason and has family in the area, and he often states how important being able to spend time with his family is at this stage in his career.

The Chargers are struggling to attract fans in the LA market, and Brady could be interested in trying to change that. It may also help that the Chargers will be playing in the brand new Inglewood stadium next year. If Brady truly wants to play another three seasons and the Patriots are ready to move on from him, there would be worse places to do it than in a brand new stadium near Hollywood and his family.

Of course, Philip Rivers is also still playing at a fairly high level. However, the 37-year-old is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season like Brady, so there would be obvious reasons the Chargers might prefer Brady over him.

We have our doubts about Brady actually leaving New England. Even if Bill Belichick is determined to prove he can win without the four-time Super Bowl MVP, Patriots owner Robert Kraft would likely step in and overrule the coach. It seems like that already happened with the Patriots trading Jimmy Garoppolo, so there’s no reason to think Kraft wouldn’t do it again.

One prominent reporter believes Brady is setting up to leave the Patriots in 2020, but things could change in a hurry when the season ends.