Bucs QB Brady Won’t Be Pursued By Dolphins
Bucs quarterback Tom Brady is slated to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason after spending three seasons in Tampa Bay. Brady, who helped the Bucs win Super Bowl LV in 2020 and back-to-back NFC South titles, will turn 46 next year and will have to decide whether he wants to return for a 24th NFL season in Tampa Bay – or elsewhere – or retire.
One of the teams rumored to be interested in Brady this offseason was Miami, but the Dolphins are committed to Tua Tagovailoa, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Miami tampered with Brady and former Saints head coach Sean Payton back in December 2021. That resulted in a fine, a suspension of Dolphins owner Stephen Ross and a loss of Miami’s first-round draft pick this year.
So, Where Will Brady Land In 2023 – If He Plays?
With the Dolphins out of the picture, the only other possible pursuers of Brady could be Las Vegas and San Francisco. The Raiders hired Josh McDaniels, Brady’s former quarterbacks coach and play-caller in New England, as their head coach this season. Las Vegas also plans on trading quarterback Derek Carr this offseason, presumably to pursue the future Hall of Famer.
But would he want to go to a 6-11 Raiders team and have to contend with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs and Justin Herbert and the Chargers twice a year? If Brady does come back for one more season, he’ll want to see a path to the playoffs. That may not happen in Las Vegas, which is also two time zones away from his kids in Miami and in New York.
San Francisco was Brady’s childhood team growing up and his parents still live in Northern California. But the 49ers passed on him in the 2000 NFL Draft and again in free agency in 2020. San Francisco had just lost the Super Bowl in 2019, but had signed Jimmy Garoppolo to a lucrative contract extension. So Tampa Bay became his destination in free agency instead.
But with the 49ers losing in the 2022 NFC Championship Game to the Eagles after having both Brock Purdy and Josh Johnson, the team’s fourth-string quarterback, get hurt, San Francisco might finally be interested in Brady. The 49ers lost starter Trey Lance, their former first-round pick, to a season-ending injury in Week 2, and then Garoppolo at midseason. Purdy, the final pick in this year’s draft, took over in Week 14 against Tampa Bay and went undefeated until Sunday’s loss at Philadelphia.
Could the 49ers be desperate enough to make a pitch to Brady, who hasn’t missed a game since arriving in Tampa Bay in 2020?
Brady returning to Tampa Bay makes the most sense – outside of a surprise reunion with New England, where Bill O’Brien has returned to call plays this year. O’Brien was one of Brady’s QB coaches and play-callers with the Patriots.
But the Bucs might be the best bet to land Brady once again in free agency. He has a great relationship with owner Joel Glazer and general manager Jason Licht, and he really likes playing for head coach Todd Bowles and his teammates. Plus, the Bucs would be penciled in as favorites to win the NFC South again if he were to return. Tampa Bay is only a 40-minute private plane ride away from Miami where his kids live, too.
It doesn’t feel quite like a decision is imminent, with the future Hall of Fame quarterback set to take his time before figuring out his future. But go ahead and scratch the Dolphins off the list of teams that might be interested in the seven-time Super Bowl champion.
