Brady jumps ship to Buccaneers
Six-time Super Bowl champion with Patriots starts new chapter
For two decades, Tom Brady was the face of the Patriots, and even of the NFL. When he turns 43 in August, his home address no longer will be in cold New England.
It will be on the sunny beaches of Tampa, Florida.
The six-time Super Bowl champion reportedly has come to terms on a deal to play for the Buccaneers this season. Reports of the deal
— one speculating two seasons for $60 million — came several hours after Brady posted Tuesday on social media “my football journey will take place elsewhere.”
Fox Sports was the first to report Brady heading to Tampa Bay. ESPN followed, although neither national outlet announced a signing day. The first day that deals can be finalized is Wednesday after 1 p.m. PT, although the league is considering pushing back any announcements by as many as two days.
In a two-part message earlier Tuesday, 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 our incredible TEAM experiences.”
The one-year contract Brady signed before last season expires Wednesday afternoon, and his agent was able to negotiate a deal presumably with the Buccaneers on Tuesday. He will count $13.5 million toward New England’s salary cap due to the signing bonus
money he received in 2019.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft said of Brady’s departure: “I had hoped this day would never come, but rather that Tom would end his remarkable career in a Patriots uniform after yet another Super Bowl championship. Unfortunately, the two sides were unable to reach an agreement to allow that dream to become a reality. While sad today, the overwhelming feeling I have is appreciation for his countless contributions to our team and community.”
A four-time Super Bowl Most Valuable Player and three-time league MVP, Brady has been the enduring face of the Patriots during a run that added another layer to Boston’s already rich sports history. Only Bill Russell, who won 11 NBA championship rings in the 1950s and
’60s with the Celtics, has won more titles as a member of one of New England’s four major professional sports teams.
Brady will be the oldest starting quarterback in the league at 43 at the beginning of next season. Other teams in the Brady derby besides the Patriots and Buccaneers were
the Colts, Chargers and Dolphins. The Raiders also were mentioned, although it is believed they were not in Brady’s mix.
Still, if Brady signs with the Buccaneers, he will play once this coming season at the Raiders’ new home, Allegiant Stadium, as a Las Vegas opponent. The date of games for the league has not yet been set by the NFL.
Tampa Bay led the league in passing last season despite Jameis Winston becoming the first player in NFL history to throw for at least 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions in the same season. The Bucs have two dynamic receivers, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, as well as two capable tight ends, Cameron Brate and O.J. Howard. Winston’s contract has expired.
Coach Bruce Arians has also worked with Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger and Carson Palmer, creating a reputation as a QB whisperer. His offense places high emphasis on pushing the ball down the field, something some believe would make Brady less than an ideal fit.
“TB12,” as he has been dubbed, a nod to his 2017 book detailing his diet and exercise approach, arguably is coming off his worst noninjury season. He threw for 4,057 yards and 24 touchdowns in 2019, with eight interceptions. But he completed fewer than 56 percent of his passes six times in the final eight games of the year, including a season-ending loss to Miami that cost the Patriots a first-round playoff bye.
They lost at home to the Titans in the wild-card round, Brady’s earliest postseason exit in a decade — and likely his last game in a Patriots uniform.
Brady had a one-year contract for 2019 that paid him $23 million, placing him 10th among starting quarterbacks. It was the latest renegotiation by Brady to help give the Patriots salary cap flexibility to fill out the roster.
The chief decision-maker in player personnel decisions, head coach
Bill Belichick hasn’t been shy about moving on from players he felt were past their prime or seeking contracts that exceeded value in relation to their age.
“Nothing about the end of Tom’s Patriots career changes how unfathomably spectacular it was,” said Belichick, whose current quarterback is untested second-year player Jarrett Stidham. “With his relentless competitiveness and longevity, he earned everyone’s adoration and will be celebrated forever. It has been a privilege to coach Tom Brady for 20 years.”