Welp, the day of reckoning for every New England sports fan might finally be upon us. As per Ian Rapport– via NFL Now– who talked directly with Patriots owner Robert Kraft, (I might have to lay down after that half-sentence) Patriots star quarterback, Tom Brady will hit the open market this off-season.
The level of royalty that Brady possesses in New England cannot be understanded, and he is arguably the most beloved athlete by his region in American sports right now, and maybe in sports history. Losing Brady to free agency would be unbearable, and it could very well set off some type of New England style purge. I’m talking Dunkin Donuts lit on fire, freedom trails destroyed, packy’s raided, the Ted Williams tunnel flooded, the de-funkying of Marky Mark’s bunch, clam chowder everywhere, barrels of tea thrown in the harbor (wait we already did that)… you get the idea. It will be ugly.
All emotions aside, certain media talking heads think Brady leaving the Patriots is a real possibility and the city of Boston hasn’t been this alarmed since Paul Revere was giving them bad news in the middle of the night. Since Fox Sports Commentator Skip Bayless is among those aforementioned talking heads, I refrained from calling the group experts, but even Bayless’s incessant rants about Brady going to the Dallas Cowboys are unsettling for a Patriots fan. What’s worse, is Skip Bayless isn’t the only one saying the Cowboys make some sense as a landing spot for Brady. The reality is Dallas is one of many teams that could be a fit for Brady.
Potential Landing Spots for Tom Brady
New England Patriots: While I obviously have bias, the Patriots still make the most sense for the six-time Super Bowl champion. Brady has spent his entire twenty year career (in which he experienced great success, I might add) with the Patriots, and at forty-two, starting from scratch with a new coach and system won’t be easy. The Patriots said they’d be willing to pay Brady $30 million a year for the next two years to bring him back, and in that Super Bowl Hulu ad he did say he wasn’t going anywhere (hard to say in what way he meant that, but hey, wishful thinking), so Brady staying put is still very likely.
Chicago Bears: The Bears current quarterback, Mitchell Trubisky, has just one year left in his contract, and more importantly: he’s not good. Brady allegedly wants to play on a team that has real weapons (the Patriots would have to figure that one out if he stays) and The Bears fit that bill. They have a youthful and strong running game with David Montgomery and Tarik Cohen, and Cohen– a quick receiving back– is the prototypical running back that Brady has made so successful in his career (think Kevin Faulk, Dion Lewis, James White and Shane Vereen). At wideout they have Allen Robinson, who is a big target and who has been very successful throughout his NFL tenure despite catching passes from only Blake Bortles and Trubisky thus far. Defensively, the Bears are extremely good, and are likely the best or second best Defense in the league (Patriots being the other). While they would need to clear some cap space, the Bears roster might be a great fit for Brady.
Indianapolis Colts: When quarterback Andrew Luck retired out of nowhere last season, the Colts were left in dire straits. Brady’s old backup, Jacoby Brissett, took over and did decent, but he is not the answer that the Colts are looking for. Brissett and Brian Hoyer– who is the other quarterback in Indianapolis, and who also used to be Brady’s backup– are both good friends with Brady and could be useful in recruiting him. The Colt’s weapons are not insane, but they are solid, as running back Marlon Mack, wide receiver TY Hilton and TE Jack Doyle could all do some serious damage with a good QB at the helm. The Colts O-Line is one of the best in the league thanks to All-Pro left guard Quentin Nelson, and their defense is young but led by line-backer Darius Leonard, it has strong potential. The Colts were Brady’s rival for years, and it might be tough to convince him to spend the next few years in Indiana, but they are still a possibility.
Los Angeles Chargers: The Chargers just announced that they will be parting ways with verteran quarterback Phillip Rivers, meaning unlike some of these other teams, their quarterback job is vacant. The Chargers offer a few things: a) the chance for Brady to end his career playing in California, which is where he was born and b) a stable of weapons that Brady would love. At wideout, the Chargers have Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, both who are great targets. At running back, they have Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekhler, which would instantly become the best backfield Brady has ever played with. The problem is their O-Line and Defense are only decent, and they don’t have many fans. Perhaps Brady can change the culture, but it’s hard to envision Brady wanting to play in front of empty seats.
Dallas Cowboys: Here’s the one that Skip Bayless, Colin Cowherd and the other talking heads can’t stop talking about. For the last four seasons, the Cowboys have had Dak Prescott at quarterback, who has done well, making the playoffs twice. At just twenty-six, and with his full potential maybe still on the horizon, it seems strange that people are talking about the Cowboys moving on from Prescott to Brady. However, Prescott is also a free agent and after declining the $30 million a year the ‘Boys offered him, he made it clear he wants a ton of money. Usually owner Jerry Jones is pretty quick to pull out his checkbook (maybe too quick) but Prescott is still unsigned. This means the Cowboys could be looking to go another direction, and that they can’t find middle ground with Prescott. Enter Brady. His asking price is lower, he’s a proven winner, and pairing this golden boy with America’s team might be everything Jerry Jones has ever wanted. They have the league’s best O-Line, great weapons and a strong defense. Maybe Brady is the piece they were missing all along.
Las Vegas Raiders: This one’s simple. They have money and a lot of it. They’d have to dump quarterback Derek Carr’s contract but that can be arranged. They lack weapons, but going to Vegas and making big bucks with Coach Jon Gruden isn’t the worst thing in the world.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Head Coach Bruce Arians has made it seem like the Bucs won’t be resigning quarterback Jameis Winston, meaning the QB spot will be wide open. Arians is an offensive guru, and the team has two studs at wide receiver in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, which could make this an attractive landing spot for Brady. That being said, Tampa Bay has a losing culture as of late, and it’s hard to see Brady going to a team that needs that much work. He wants to win now, and doesn’t have the time to help rebuild.
While I think Brady will be a Patriot next season, some of these other teams truly do make sense for him (I just puked a little in my mouth). Also, the whole “he should retire a Patriot,” narrative that many of the New England faithful are using is baseless, as many star quarterback’s have moved on from their original teams in the twilight of their careers. Peyton Manning didn’t end his career with Colts, Joe Montana didn’t retire a 49er and Brett Farve didn’t play his whole career with the Packers. It’s not like this would be unprecedented. Brady wasn’t happy this year with the weapons the Patriots had around him, there might be some weird tension with him and Coach Bill Belicheck, he had the worst year he’s had in a long time and I’m in a glass case of emotion. All Patriots fans can do now is just hope, and appreciate the times we had.
But if he does come back?
Then Super Bowl back on.
