Tom Brady is still the best general manager in sports. Could he bring Tyrann Mathieu to the Buccaneers to compete for a Super Bowl?
Listen, when people first started talking about the Buccaneers going after Tyrann Mathieu, I rolled my eyes. I love the fit, but money is a huge problem. Funny how Tom Brady coming back has a way of changing rational thought in the world of football.
The notion of bringing Mathieu to Tampa was ludicrous a day ago, but there are actually some genuine reasons why people believe a deal could happen.
First and foremost, we need to avoid the false narratives that Mathieu is not a good safety and that he would not be an improvement over what the Bucs already have. Tampa runs plenty of sets that call for five or six defensive backs, and no one in their right mind could believe that an All-Pro like Mathieu would not crack that group.
Jordan Whitehead is gone, and while Antoine Winfield Jr. and Mike Edwards are excellent options, the Bucs still need a third guy to lean on. There are plenty of reps to go around for three safeties, especially when considering Mathieu’s talent and some of the question marks surrounding Sean Murphy-Bunting.
As for the validity of this deal, it would be tough. The Bucs are very tight up against the cap due to using the franchise tag on Chris Godwin, but moves are coming to free that space up.
Once a decision has been made there, this front office has proven dozens of times that it can do whatever it takes to bring game-changing players to Tampa. It absolutely would not be easy, but a front office like this is one of the few that can manipulate the cap well enough to make this deal happen.
Sure, the Bucs could lose out on names like Leonard Fournette, Jason Pierre-Paul, and Ndamukong Suh, but those players are easy to replace in the draft. A guy like Mathieu on the free agent market doesn’t come around nearly as often.
This deal also makes sense because it would come down to Mathieu. There is a history of mutual respect with Bruce Arians, and Mathieu is spending time today with Todd Bowles’ son.
Coincidence? Perhaps. But only a fool rules out everything as coincidence.
Talented guys like Mathieu have a way of flocking to defensive minds like Todd Bowles. Some fans may harp on what Bowles called in the playoffs on that final play against the Rams, but his overall body of work shows a knack at making versatile players reach new heights in his defense.
Based on what we have seen and the likely desire to win another ring, does anyone believe that a phone call from Tom Brady wouldn’t at least help make Tampa look like an interesting destination?
Sure, there were some moments in the Super Bowl where Brady got in his opponent’s face, but maybe he can turn that into a funny memory and a jumping off point for the sale of a lifetime.
I still wouldn’t bank on this crazy deal happening, but the odds of it coming true aren’t as low as most skeptics would believe.
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