With NFL free agency underway, all eyes were on legendary quarterback Tom Brady to see if he actually would be leaving the New England Patriots or if he was just bluffing with all of the talk over the last few months.
As the first day of the free-agent tampering period came and went, no news about Brady came. Teams like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders have been waiting to pounce if he leaves New England though.
While the thought of a six-time Super Bowl champion leaving the only organization he ever played for was hard to believe, it finally became a reality on Tuesday morning. Brady took to social media to officially announce that he will not be returning to the Patriots:
FOREVER A PATRIOT pic.twitter.com/QSBOJBs4uy
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) March 17, 2020
LOVE YOU PATS NATION pic.twitter.com/lxSQZmnjPL
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) March 17, 2020
The Raiders have already made one quarterback move this offseason, agreeing to terms with Marcus Mariota late Monday night. The thought is that he will be the primary backup to Derek Carr in 2020, but the chances of them landing Brady isn’t quite dead yet.
It is, however, very unlikely, per Vic Tafur of The Athletic:
Does this mean the Raiders are officially out on the longtime New England quarterback?
Nah, but the door is closing and it was already barely open. Brady talked to the Buccaneers on Monday, a source told The Athletic, with the Chargers possibly on deck and his old team, the Patriots, on the shelf. (And wouldn’t the Colts have to think he was a better option than Philip Rivers?)
It always came down to whether Brady wanted to play for the Raiders, and he apparently thinks he has a better chance to win in Tampa Bay, which, according to a source, made an offer and seems to be the favorite now to land the six-time Super Bowl champion.
Considering the Raiders are a young, rebuilding team, Brady really made sense for them in the first place. They also didn’t make a whole lot of sense for him either, so it is not surprising to see him considering other options.
If Brady were to sign with the Chargers, then he would be playing against the Raiders twice a year in the AFC West, which would make for an interesting turn of events.
