Now that Tom Brady has officially announced that he will not be returning to the New England Patriots next season, the market for the 42-year-old quarterback appears to once again be heating up.
Earlier in the week, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were believed to be the only team other than the Patriots with a legitimate shot to sign Brady. With New England out of the mix, does that mean the Bucs are on the verge of making the NFL offseason’s biggest splash? Not necessarily.
There has been a lot of talk about the Las Vegas Raiders pulling out of the Brady sweepstakes, but sources from teams that are trying to sign Brady told ESPN’s Ed Werder that they believe the Raiders will still be a factor.
While most expect Tom Brady to choose between the #Buccaneers and #Chargers, those teams still suspect the #Raiders could eventually be involved.
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) March 17, 2020
Jon Gruden said recently that he wants to build around Derek Carr, and it’s possible the Raiders coach is looking for a more long-term solution than the one Brady would be able to provide. If the Raiders are still planning to make a run at Brady, they have done a good job of keeping their intentions a secret.
Another team that could be lurking in the weeds is the Dolphins, as some executives told Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports that they believe Miami would make sense as a destination for Brady. However, NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport said Tuesday that the Dolphins have not approached Brady with an offer.
And, by the way, not the #Dolphins. https://t.co/Mm1JiftKu3
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 17, 2020
We personally thought Brady would never leave the Patriots, but it sounds like Bill Belichick did not make a strong effort to keep the four-time Super Bowl MVP. While Brady’s options were said to be narrowed down to two teams at one point, it now seems like there are at least a couple of others in play.
