Report: Tom Brady only returned to Bucs after secret plan fell through

Tom Brady has had an eventful offseason marked with a brief retirement and subsequent unretirement. Additionally, just a few weeks after Brady announced his return to the Buccaneers, Bruce Arians stepped down as Tampa Bay’s head coach.

A lot of what transpired this offseason for Brady hasn’t made sense, but a report seems to fill in the missing pieces.

The Boston Globe’s Ben Volin published an article on Friday about Brady’s offseason. Volin says that Brady retired in February because he had a big plan in mind. The plan was for Brady to become a minority owner of the Miami Dolphins and also join the Dolphins’ front office.

Brady’s role with the Dolphins would have been similar to Derek Jeter’s role with the Miami Marlins, according to Volin.

Brady’s ties to the Dolphins include a relationship with team owner Stephen Ross, who is a massive donor/booster for Michigan football, which is where Brady played. The other tie is Dolphins minority owner Bruce Beal, whom Volin describes as Brady’s friend.

But the plan didn’t end there.

The Dolphins reportedly had thoughts about trading the Bucs to get Brady’s rights as a player so he could eventually come out of retirement and play for the team. As part of this grand plan, the Dolphins were also going to hire Sean Payton as head coach. Payton, who shares an agent with Brady, had recently stepped down as Saints head coach.

We shared many of these details in a report in late February.

So what happened and why didn’t this plan come to fruition?

Brian Flores filed his lawsuit the day Brady announced his retirement. There was so much negative attention and legal discovery that Miami was facing, the parties decided to call off the plan. The sides also recognized that hiring Brady and Payton, who are both white, would have reflected poorly given the timing of the situation.

Once the plan fell apart, Brady decided he should try to return to the Bucs prior to free agency so the team would still have a chance to build a competitive roster for 2022.

The entire plan sure is something, and there are quite a few takeaways.

One, Brady’s number one interest did not seem to be to return to the Bucs. Once he decided to return, it sure seems he didn’t want Arians back. Two, don’t be surprised if Brady tries to work his way to another team next offseason. And three, it’s apparent that Brady will have an interest in running/owning a team when he’s done playing.

Photo: Aug 28, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) jogs off the field after a game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports