The Tom Brady to the Miami Dolphins rumors were the hot topic in the NFL streets ever since the GOAT’s un-retirement announcement. Now all of a sudden those very same rumors don’t look to have as much weight to them as initially thought.
In case you haven’t heard, and/or living under a rock, the most recent news “bombshell” in the NFL in an effort to stay at the forefront of the population’s consciousness in between the free agency frenzy and the draft was that Brady was reportedly set to come out of retirement and play for the Dolphins, with Sean Payton also being lured out of retirement to coach, while Brady also serving as the MINORITY OWNER OF THE TEAM. Read that again if you have to but we promise that’s actually the report. The first to report this was the Boston Globe, which cited a league source when doing so. Of course, it’s mighty interesting to hear where this report initially came from all things considered. We’re not here for conspiracies, however, we are here to connect dots.
Fast forward, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers General Manager Jason Licht spoke with the media on Tuesday. Naturally, the topic of Brady potentially jumping ship to South Beach to join the Dolphins came up in conversation. Here is what he said:
"“No, we haven’t had those discussions. The only discussions I’ve had, we’ve had, with Tom has been, he came back and we’re excited about this year and we’re excited to get going.”"
So there you have it. Licht and the Bucs had no idea about any of this. Why is this significant? Well, even in retirement, the Buccaneers still had the rights to Brady. So, even if he were to leave to play and OWN ANOTHER NFL TEAM (wild that this is a thing) he would have to be traded or dealt in some way from Tampa Bay. So there’s that.
In case you need more convincing, Payon had this to say pertaining to his role in the rumors “I have no clue about the Tampa Bay/Miami Dolphin/Tom Brady rumor. My understanding is that there was a request put in or that intermediaries talked I’m getting ready to do TV. I wasn’t coaching. … If I’d had been ready to coach this year, I would have stayed in New Orleans. It’s nice to have someone interested. … Look, our focus on Tom Brady has been on beating him, not joining him.”
Case closed. The media can keep trying to drive this story home until it actually happens, even to the point where it looks like they’re rooting for it. At the end of the day, Tom Brady is the quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Deal with it.