In the NFL, a franchise player rarely finds himself without a contract. It’s even more uncommon when that player is considered one of the greats. But when the player in question is widely regarded as the greatest to ever do it, you start to wade into uncharted waters.
And with Tom Brady set to become a free agent March 18th, we are slowly getting closer and closer to the deep end.
But instead of taking the logical path, this entire ordeal has turned the NFL world into a cesspool filled with hot takes by radio and talk shows hosts while NFL “insiders” report on stories with no real evidence only to have them changed days or weeks later. In a quest to get the scoop on what’s going on, common sense has gone out the window.
Remember when Tom Brady put his house on the market?
Tom Brady, Gisele Bundchen Put Brookline House Up For Sale https://t.co/PTKwinufFM
— WBZ Boston Sports (@wbzsports) August 6, 2019
And in doing so, he almost certainly closed the book on ever returning to the Patriots, right? Never mind the fact that throughout his career Brady has owned many homes including ones in California, Montana, New York and of course, Massachusetts. And in that period, he continued to play on the Patriots. Where a player lives does not really matter when you consider that they aren’t taking an Uber or catching a cab to work every day like regular people. Traveling any distance to get to work isn’t a problem that someone like Tom Brady has difficulty dealing with.
But if we are to play along with the narrative that “Brady moving = Brady leaving”, then where would the quarterback be relocating that would make traveling to and from work everyday borderline unbearable?
Connecticut.
Breaking: Tom Brady’s suite inside Gillette Stadium has been cleaned out and the Brady family has moved into their home in Greenwich, CT. Please credit @GregHillWEEI.
— The Greg Hill Show (@TheGregHillShow) January 14, 2020
Greg Hill also said on WEEI that bystanders noticed the suite being cleaned out in a way “perhaps it has never been cleaned out before”. Whatever that means.
So Tom Brady moving from Massachusetts, which is in New England, to Connecticut, which is also in New England, means that he’s leaving the New England Patriots. Got it. That extra two hours added to his commute must have been the straw that broke the G.O.A.T.’s back.
But then reports started to come out that he wasn’t moving to the faraway land of Connecticut after all.
💬@tomecurran disputes the reports of Tom Brady having a house in Connecticut pic.twitter.com/gsz6fJBQFH
— Boston Sports Tonight (@NBCSBST) January 15, 2020
But later that month there were reports that he indeed did move.
Btw, that place in Connecticut that Tom Brady supposedly didn't have? Yeah he has it. What does that mean? Means Super G wanted to be closer to NYC. Anything else is purely speculative.
— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) January 30, 2020
To this day the great mystery of the “Connecticut House” is still going on, but one thing is for certain, never has the real estate of one person been so closely investigated.
Then there was the Nashville sighting where, during the week leading up to the Super Bowl, it was reported that Tom Brady and his wife, Gisele Bundchen, were spotted in Nashville looking at schools for their children. This led to every media pundit and fan alike claiming that Tom Brady signing with the Titans and reuniting with his former teammate Mike Vrabel is almost a foregone conclusion.
That was all debunked by a simple case of mistaken identity.
Someone needs some glasses because they look nothing like Gisele & Tom https://t.co/V2Cdx4UFxi
— Hayley Wielgus (@HayleyWielgus) February 5, 2020
With the clear striking resemblance, it’s obvious to see how a mix up could’ve happened. Or maybe people are so engulfed by this Tom Brady Saga that they are quite literally seeing things.
Then there was the report that quarterback Ryan Tannehill isn’t leaving the Titans which completely squashed the possibility of seeing Tennessee Tom.
Ryan Tannehill reportedly is "not leaving" the Titans. That would certainly imply Tennessee is out of the Tom Brady sweepstakes. https://t.co/mVbhW7H8a2 pic.twitter.com/9hRWiZYwZ3
— NESN (@NESN) February 2, 2020
The Titan’s weren’t the last team Brady has been linked to this offseason, though.
The quarterback showed up to UFC 246 in Las Vegas and was seen talking to Raiders owner Mark Davis for a reported 20-30 minutes, which only amplified rumors of a Sin City-bound Brady.
#Raiders Mark Davis and Marcel Reece spoke with Tom Brady at the UFC 246 event at T-Mobile Arena on January 18, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. pic.twitter.com/QZrRQewc7r
— AFL Godfather 🏴☠️👓🏈 (@NFLMAVERICK) January 19, 2020
Odds for non-Patriots teams Tom Brady will play for in Week 1 of 2020 (via @betonline_ag):
– Raiders, 3/1
– Chargers, 4/1
– Buccaneers, 7/1
– Cowboys, 9/1
– Colts, 9/1
– Panthers, 10/1
– Titans, 10/1
– Dolphins, 14/1
– Bears, 16/1
– Browns, 16/1
– Saints, 16/1
– Broncos, 18/1— RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) February 6, 2020
And with LA officially parting ways with long time QB Philip Rivers, the Chargers have shot up the depth chart as the new, sexy pick to land Brady.
https://youtu.be/hkRVTD0-ukw
I think unless the #Patriots give Tom Brady ALL the weapons he could potentially want he's out of there.. Back on October 24th I introduced to the world that the LA #Chargers would be the perfect home for TB12 IF he decides to leave @GetUpESPN pic.twitter.com/j4vu4rnLF5
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 6, 2020
Tom Brady to the Chargers? Patriots star fuels rumors after liking post about Philip Rivers leaving franchise https://t.co/FNjg64Faeh
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) February 11, 2020
https://youtu.be/kN444wyb4bI
There’s a third California team that’s being forced into the conversation for some reason as well: the 49ers. Apparently, all it took was people realizing Brady is from San Mateo and grew up a Niners fan for the “San Francisco should trade for Brady” rumors to sprout up.
We weren’t ready for this scorcher 🔥🔥🔥 by Mike Florio: Tom Brady to the 49ers and Jimmy G back with Belichick??? pic.twitter.com/vSh59uYTjs
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) February 6, 2020
https://youtu.be/KNQcWOUeoqE
NFL Rumors: San Francisco 49ers Could Sign Bay Area Native Tom Brady, Dump Jimmy Garoppolo, Per ‘NBC Sports’ https://t.co/vwdHdPz0ZA
— Jonathan Vankin (@jonvankin) February 5, 2020
And if you’re into opinions that come so deep from left field that they’re practically in the stands, people are now trying to fabricate a scenario in which the Dallas Cowboys sign Tom Brady.
https://youtu.be/Qkqcherqckg
Michael Irvin was asked Friday on @DaleKeefeWEEI about the possibility of the Cowboys trading Dak Prescott and signing Tom Brady.
He said that he had a conversation while at the Super Bowl in Miami with significant people about the same subject. Listen: https://t.co/Ru1pv9gYy1 pic.twitter.com/7u4S39TCzD
— RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) February 9, 2020
Listen, it’s always fun to play the “Where will Player X go if he leaves his team” game, but at some point, you have to take logic and common sense into play.
Let’s break these options down, starting with the most absurd:
Cowboys: Jerry Jones is a certifiable madman, but even he wouldn’t give up on Dak for a 42-year old quarterback. He and his son have been telling everyone who would listen that keeping Prescott on the team is a priority for them. Oh, and this:
Tom Brady to the Cowboys?
Brady doesn’t think so… pic.twitter.com/io7jsib7K8
— Guy Boston Sports (@GuyBostonSports) February 8, 2020
49ers: A team that just made the Super Bowl with a young core that seems primed for a long run would have no interest torpedoing their organization by signing a QB who only has 2-3 years left. There’s an apparent “out” in Jimmy G’s contract which would allow the team to trade or cut him by April 1st and only adsorb a $4.2 million cap hit. But even still, San Francisco finally has a quarterback they can build around for the next 10 years, there’s no need to take a risk for the short term by signing Brady.
Raiders: Sure, why wouldn’t Brady want to relocate his entire family to California only to be with a team that has no real chance of winning for the remainder of his career. Brady would be downgrading across the board on offense and have a dramatically worse defense to back him up. Not to mention dealing with the volatile Las Vegas crowd that doesn’t seem too excited to even have an NFL team.
Chargers: At first glance, this move makes some modicum of sense. With the potential weaponry of Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Hunter Henry and Austin Ekler, and offense that potent would certainly be enticing to Brady. But would the Chargers make the move? How much sense would it make to get rid of one aging quarterback only to sign an even older one? The Chargers should take their sixth overall pick in the draft and grab their QB of the future. LA would likely have to throw a large amount of money at Brady to lure him out of New England, to begin with, and that leads to the main issue with how everyone is looking at Tom Brady’s offseason.
Every talking head or NFL fan is looking at this situation from what they would do if they were in Brady’s predicament. This entire ordeal needs to be seen through the lens of Brady himself.
He has never been about getting the most money possible. His history of repeatedly taking team-friendly deals is well documented. Why would he all of a sudden decide to change that in the twilight of his career? Think of that when you continue to hear “reports” of Brady wanting market value or else he’ll walk. If you genuinely believe Brady would force the team to break the bank for him, you haven’t been paying attention.
Additionally, why would Brady want to go to a completely different team and learn an entirely new offense when he doesn’t have to? Sure, that team would probably tailor their offense to something Brady is comfortable with, but why go through that hassle when he can just stay in a system he’s mastered for his last few years? And why would a team change the way they play only to likely have to change again in the next few years once Brady retires?
And even if you look at it from the other end, it doesn’t make sense for the Pats to move on from Brady right now anyway. Regardless of what agenda-pushing reporters would like you to believe, Belichick and Brady have a great relationship. And even if you think Belichick wants to move on from the aging QB, what option does he have? What option would give him a better chance at winning than No. 12?
Tom Brady has been about one thing his entire career: winning. The Patriots give him the best chance to do that. To have stability and familiarity as your career winds down is key, and Brady has that in New England.
