Tuesday morning, the sports world was rocked when the indescribable moment happened: quarterback Tom Brady announced he would leave the New England Patriots and therefore, becoming a free agent. The Patriots only had one stance: What would Tom do? He’s won six Super Bowls out of the nine he competed in. Brady is a four-time Super Bowl MVP. However, stability with head coach Bill Belichick and owner Robert Kraft was not enough as the 43 year old quarterback decided it was time to move on and embark on a new path.
Brady thanked the Patriots and the fans and said “FOREVER A PATRIOT.”
“I don’t know what my football future holds, but it is time for me to open a new stage for my life and my career,” he wrote. “Although my football journey will take place elsewhere, I appreciate everything that we have achieved and am grateful for out incredible TEAM experiences.”
While it will be weird to see Brady potentially wear a different uniform, he has not informed anyone of his choice there are a couple of teams vying for Brady’s signature.
FINAL SCORE:@Patriots 13@RamsNFL 3
— The Atlanta Voice (@theatlantavoice) February 4, 2019
New England has won their sixth #SuperBowl, joining the @Steelers in that club.
Tom Brady has SIX #SuperBowl titles, the most of any player in NFL history. #TheAtlantaVoice #EverythingWeGot #SBLIII pic.twitter.com/Vdv4RNog6e
First, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are best positioned to land Tom Brady’s services. Tampa has a plethora of young and hungry offensive talent with running backs Peyton Barber and Ronald Jones, both backs are 25 or 23 respectively. Their wide receiver talent is off the charts with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Breshad Perriman. Despite starting quarterback Jameis Winston throwing 30 interceptions in 2019, Evans and Godwin each had more than 1,150 receiving yards and had nine and seven touchdowns, respectively. Tight ends O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate caught 34 and 36 passes each in 2019. All five players possess severe matchup problems for opposing defenses.
Of course, the key that unlocks the reason why Brady would join Tampa Bay is their salary cap situation. The Buccaneers have $84 million in cap room heading into free agency, considering . It is conceivable after franchising linebacker Shaq Barrett, the Bucs can fully guarantee Brady $30 million or more over the next two seasons. Outside of Mike Evans earning $16.5 million, there is no skill position player that is earning more than $6 million (Cameron Brate).
Another team that could potentially sign Tom Brady would be the Los Angeles Chargers. After an acrimonious move to the City of Angels three years ago and two seasons in Carson, California, the Chargers are moving into the Rams new stadium without any star power after longtime quarterback Phillip Rivers announced his departure shortly after the Super Bowl. The Chargers also have a projected $51 million in cap room. Brady would be joined with defensive stars Melvin Ingram, Joey Bosa, cornerback Casey Heyward and defensive back Derwin James. He’ll have a security blanket with tight end Hunter Henry. In addition, the Chargers added offensive guard Trai Turner from the Carolina Panthers.
The bottom line is Brady does not plan on retiring soon. On Sept. 2, 2014, Brady told WEEI-AM via The Boston Globe, “When I suck, I’ll retire. But I don’t plan on sucking for a long time.”
