New England Patriots QB Tom Brady announced officially that he would not be returning to the organization, prompting intrigue across the nation.
Tom Brady officially confirmed Tuesday morning that he would not be returning to the New England Patriots, the organization he has played for the past 20 seasons.
Instead, the 42-year-old veteran would look to start fresh and finish out his career elsewhere.
NFL Network Analyst Tom Pelissero said that the Buccaneers and Chargers remain in the mix for Brady, who reportedly hasn’t told any team his intentions, and that the quarterback will likely “go dark” until he makes his decision.
Multiple teams remain in pursuit of Tom Brady and an announcement on his new team is “not likely” to come today, per source. The #Bucs and #Chargers remain in the mix. Sounds like the plan now is for Brady to go dark on everyone until he makes his decision.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 17, 2020
In addition, NFL Network Analyst Ian Rapoport said that the Buccaneers and Chargers had offered Tom Brady upwards of $30 million per year.
The #Bucs made a strong offer to QB Tom Brady believed to be $30M or more. The #Chargers did, as well. And now, he’s leaving New England.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 17, 2020
With the Buccaneers and Chargers considered the front-runners to win his services, Tampa Bay may very well have a couple of advantages that many may not think about at first glance.
First of all, it should be noted that $30 million in Tampa Bay and $30 million Los Angeles is not equal. Though the Chargers may give Brady better brand exposure, he will actually take home quite a bit more in Tampa because of the lack of state income tax.
In addition to taking home more money on his contract, Brady may also be looking at this from a football perspective.
Consider this: The different divisions.
Would Brady really want to play in a division that features Patrick Mahomes? The Chiefs are the clear favorites and would stay that way- with or without Brady joining the Chargers. When you add in a surging team like the Raiders, who are just a few pieces away, Brady would be joining an organization that very well could struggle to get a wildcard bid- even with the expanded playoffs.
If he comes to Tampa Bay, though, he’ll be playing against an aging Drew Brees– as he has already done many times in his career- and would have one of the best group of skill-position players in the league around him.
The NFC South outside of the Saints is there for the taking- with the Panthers and Falcons both potentially faltering- and he’d be in a situation where he’d be working with a coach in Bruce Arians that would be absolutely sold out to winning right now.
Will Brady choose Tampa Bay? That all remains to be seen. But there are a few interesting aspects that would play to his advantage if he did, indeed, choose to become a Buccaneer.