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One day into the NFL legal tampering period, Tom Brady's future remains shrouded in uncertainty. The six-time Super Bowl champion will officially become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career and could leave the New England Patriots after two decades of unprecedented success.
A number of major chips fell on Monday as news of trades and signings turned from a slow trickle to a steady flow, but Brady's future remains unresolved. That is not to say that there weren't any significant developments for the 42-year-old, for at least now we know which teams Brady will not be playing for next season after the Tennessee Titans and the San Francisco 49ers pulled out of the run.
On Sunday, the Tennessee Titans signed Ryan Tannehill to a massive four-year deal worth up to $118 million, with $62 million fully guaranteed.
On the same day, Chris Simms of NBC Sports reported the San Francisco 49ers were unlikely to open negotiations with the 42-year-old, despite the fact, "It was Tom Brady's number one choice [...] to go to San Francisco and be the starting quarterback."
On Monday night the Las Vegas Raiders signed Marcus Mariota. The Raiders had long been linked with a move to Brady, due to head coach Jon Gruden's penchant for signing a quarterback whenever he's given the chance and to the fact Brady would be the ideal man to play the role of face of the franchise in its first season in Las Vegas.
However, with Derek Carr and Mariota both on the books, Vegas seems a more far-fetched option for Brady, although nothing can ever be ruled out when it comes to Gruden.
While Brady's options may be shrinking—bizarre as it may sound, given his status in the game— that does not make a return to New England any more straightforward. At least not in the eyes of the bookmakers. According to BetOnline, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are now 2/3 favorites to land Brady, with the Patriots at 11/10 and the Los Angeles Chargers at 6/1.
Bucs head coach Bruce Arians stuck to his word on Monday, franchise-tagging linebacker Shaquil Barrett, who led the NFL in sacks last season, and re-signing fellow linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul to a two-year deal worth $27 million.
Crucially, Arians also reiterated that his starting quarterback was an "unknown quantity" as the team allowed Jameis Winston to enter free agency. The first overall pick of the 2015 draft, Winston led the league in passing last season with 5,109 yards and set a franchise record with 33 touchdowns, but also threw 30 interceptions bringing his career tally to 88 picks in five seasons.
Last month, Arians was non-committal when asked whether Winston would be brought back and on Monday the Bucs head coach told the Tampa Bay Times he made an "aggressive pitch" to Brady when he spoke to the quarterback on the phone on Monday, confirming an earlier report from NFL Network reporter Michael Giardi.
"After dropping hints for weeks leading back to the combine, Tampa Bay came back and said, 'Tom, we want you to be our quarterback,'" he said.
Brady will be 43 in August and last season had the fewest touchdown passes since 2008—when he suffered a season-ending injury in Week 1—and his passing yards total was the second-lowest since 2010.
On the other hand, even if no longer at his peak Brady remains arguably one of the best quarterbacks in the league.
"He's still the greatest quarterback of all time, and other teams for the first time in his career are going to be allowed to talk to him and try to persuade him from leaving New England, and I think there's a real chance that somebody's going to be able to do that," ESPN's Adam Schefter said when asked of Brady's options.
About the writer
Dan Cancian is currently a reporter for Newsweek based in London, England. Prior to joining Newsweek in January 2018, he ... Read more