I’m telling you … Tom Brady is going to South Beach.
On the same day the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were set to square off against the Dallas Cowboys to cap off NFL Super Wild Card Weekend, a new report emerged saying three teams are interested in pursuing quarterback Tom Brady in free agency: the Las Vegas Raiders, Tennessee Titans and San Francisco 49ers, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
The Miami Dolphins are also interested in bringing Brady to the 305, with NBC Sports’ ProFootballTalk (PFT) reporting Jan. 12 that a deal between the two is “definitely on the table.”
After the season ends for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a 45-year-old Tom Brady will be an unrestricted free agent. He’ll be able to choose between playing his 24th season in the NFL, or retiring permanently after already doing so for a short period of time in 2022.
From @NFLGameDay: With an eye toward Monday night, #Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was clear about Mike McCarthy’s job status, while #Bucs QB Tom Brady will be one of the most interesting free agents in 2023. pic.twitter.com/MuPsUiey91
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 15, 2023
I’ve heard the Las Vegas Raiders connections before, and with Vegas being a flashy city, I could see it happening — but will Brady really go to a team that just finished 6-11?
And is he really going to move practically across the entire country, away from his kids, to do it?
No, he’s not — and the Titans and 49ers aren’t even realistic to me, either.
First off, all of his kids are on the East Coast, with two out of three of them being in Miami (the other is in New York), so that’s probably going to be a huge factor in his decision-making.
And let’s not act like Brady didn’t choose the Tampa Bay Buccaneers back in 2020 because he couldn’t get a deal done with the Miami Dolphins. He chose Tampa because it was the next-closest option to Dade County, and now here he goes again (for the fourth straight offseason), trying to land in Miami with the Phins. (RELATED: One Of Greatest Weekends Of Football Has Arrived. Here’s Everything You Need To Know)
Then, on top of that, you also have the fact that Brady has a great relationship with the Dolphins ownership.
So when you mix that in with the warm weather of South Florida, the fact that the Sunshine State has no income tax, he gets to bully Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots twice a year, he has incredible weapons at his disposal (Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Mike Gesicki, etc.), a talented defense to back him up, and having the (bleeping) city of Miami as his playpen — yeah … now you see why Tom Brady is trying to land there for the fourth straight offseason.
He’s going to South Beach, ladies and gentlemen. Take it to the bank.