Tom Brady Signs with Buccaneers

On Tuesday afternoon, news broke that Tom Brady has signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brady announced Tuesday morning that he will not be returning to the Patriots and that he will become a free agent for the first time in his career. There has been a lot of talk surrounding Brady for months as he did not sign an extension with the Patriots.

Brady, 42, is undoubtedly the greatest Quarterback of all time. Many teams were in the discussion for Brady such as the Titans, Chargers, Raiders, and of course the Bucs. ESPN opened many days of SportsCenter with the possibility of Brady to the Titans but it was pretty clear that the Titans would not be moving on from Ryan Tannehill.

This deal comes as a huge shock to many people, including myself. Brady has 6 Super Bowl

rings and has spent his entire 20 years with the Patriots and with coach Bill Belichick. Brady and Belichick were unstoppable for years and they always seemed to be in the Super Bowl. They also always seemed to make the most unlikely comebacks, such as the comeback from down 28-3 in Super Bowl 51.

The deal is believed to be around $30m per year and the length is unclear though it will likely be 1 or 2 years. $30m per year would make Brady tied for the 8th highest payed Quarterback in the NFL, just above Titans QB, Ryan Tannehill. $30m per year for a 42 year old Quarterback is a bit surprising and I think the price tag was largely due to what Brady has done in the past rather than what he may do in the future.

With multiple teams interested, why did Tom Brady chose the Bucs? The main reasons that sticks out is because of the receivers and because of the possible success. It appeared that disconnect was brewing between Brady and the Patriots whether it was with players, coaches, or ownership. Brady has not given reasons as to why he left New England but it appears he chose Tampa for a few reasons.

Bucs receiver, Chris Godwin, had the 3rd most receiving yards in the league last year and was dominant. In addition to Godwin, the Bucs have Mike Evans who was the 7th overall pick in 2014 and has been a great receiver since. Godwin is well rounded in all categories while Evans can use his 6”5 size and catch passes over receivers. Godwin and Evans combined for 17 touchdowns last season, the most out of any receiver duo in the league, and they will be great targets for Tom Brady.

This move is obviously shocking to everyone, especially the NFC South. The NFC South consists of many great Quarterbacks, Drew Brees (Saints), Matt Ryan (Falcons), Teddy Bridgewater (Panthers), and of course Tom Brady. Outside of Brady playing those Quarterbacks twice, he will also face Aaron Rodgers, Kirk Cousins, Patrick Mahomes, and Marcus Mariota. I will write more on Brady in the future but this news truly shocks me.

I never thought Brady would leave New England in the first place and I never expected Tampa Bay to be a top destination. The Buccaneers are in for a good season but the durability of Brady will definitely be tested as he turns 43 in August.