As we resign ourselves to the fact we will be facing life without sports, for quite a while, it is also time to prepare ourselves for something we have already been awaiting.
Tom Brady and his pending decision.
All clubs have now gained access to contact and enter into negotiations with the agents of players who will become unrestricted free agents at 4 p.m. EST on Wednesday. Then those parties can place their deals in ink. And believe us, barring incredible developments at the last second, those reported deals prove true.
So in reality, we could be looking at the last few days with Brady remaining a New England Patriot, an unprecedented run that has lasted two decades. Six Super Bowl titles. Four Super Bowl Most Valuable Player awards, three NFL MVP honors, and 14 trips to the Pro Bowl -– may be better known as the greatest to ever play the game.
Personally, as a Boston journalist, the first game I ever remember came back on Sept. 23, 2001. I’d not think of this is as a coincidence, and the only reason I do is that I remembered my father, Paul, when Mo Lewis slammed then-Patriots quarterback, Drew Bledsoe, along the sidelines.
I’m not too certain as to what was dubbed: ‘Foxboro Stadium,’ at the moment what is now located at 1 Patriot Place was aptly named at that time (Schaefer Stadium, or Sullivan Stadium, whichever was the hot choice of the month). Back then, the Patriots were still the team we held onto, hoping for a chance at greatness. At that very second, my father leaped out of his chair, still in disbelief. He couldn’t believe that the season may have been lost, only in Game 2 of that campaign.
Then, the unthinkable happened.
Think about where you were then, where we are now.
It’s really unbelievable if you rehash it, granted we are now just days away from Brady’s departure.
Or are we?
Patriot fans should breathe a huge sigh of relief, after Sunday’s events.
First, around 2:30 p.m. EST, the Tennessee Titans agreed to a four-year, $118 million deal with quarterback Ryan Tannehill, per Jeff Darlington of ESPN:
Ryan Tannehill has agreed to terms on a new four-year contract with the Titans, per source. Here’s the numbers:
$118m total
$29.5m average per year
$62m full guarantee
$91m total guaranteeBIG deal for Tannehill!
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) March 15, 2020
So in the blink of an eye, one of the teams rumored to be in on Brady completely vanished from the competition.
Yet, a dark horse has emerged as a possible suitor over the last few weeks, and Rick Stroud of The Tampa Bay Times provided his insight on the situation. He sights numerous reasons the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would be very in much in talks toward to acquiring Brady’s services, ranging from the city’s need for relevancy in the NFL community to the 42-year-old’s advantage with a strong receiving core, which includes two of the best, most notably including Mike Evans and now Chris Godwin on top of it all.
Head coach Bruce Arians even made this statement regarding current Bucs quarterback, Jameis Winston, in the presence of Andrew Siciliano at the NFL Combine just weeks ago. Let’s just say, it caught the eyes of a few members from Prime Time at the event, as well as a few others.
Bruce Arians says he has NOT told Jameis Winston the Buccaneers plan at QB.
“We have a plan, we’re just not telling anybody.”#NFLNow @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/WKntWQzeuZ
— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) February 25, 2020
It could be the end of a legendary era, or simply the start of a new beginning. Or in reality, both. At this point, it is only ours to guess.
