The market for Tom Brady did not seem to be quite as robust as many expected it to be, and the Indianapolis Colts may have played a direct role in that.
The Colts were obviously looking for an upgrade at quarterback this offseason, which is why they signed Philip Rivers to a one-year deal last week. However, they surely would have preferred Brady and his championship pedigree if the four-time Super Bowl MVP wanted to play in Indy, right? Apparently not.
According to Peter King of NBC Sports, Brady’s camp showed interest in the Colts but the interest was not mutual. The Colts are said to have preferred Rivers from the start because they knew they could sign him to a one-year deal.
Brady signed a two-year, $50 million contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that is fully guaranteed and includes up to $9 million in incentives. Rivers signed a one-year deal with the Colts that is worth around $25 million. Rivers is four years younger than Brady, but it’s hard to believe Indianapolis preferred one year of Rivers over two years of Brady.
It’s possible that Brady’s camp only showed interest in the Colts as a way of strengthening the market for the 42-year-old. Brady seems like he was in a position where he would have wanted to really stick it to the Patriots, and signing with Indy would have been one way to do that. However, he also wanted to play on the east coast for travel purposes. It seems unlikely that Brady would have signed with the Colts even if they wanted him.
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