Tom Brady’s decision to retire and unretire in the same offseason caught many off guard. Not so much him returning, but definitely him walking away in the first place.
The 44-year-old often insisted that he wanted to keep playing well into his 40s, so the abrupt shift understandably surprised folks.
A few weeks after Brady announced he was coming back, the real reason why everything happened emerged. His foiled Miami Dolphins plans, Brian Flores’ impact on the situation – everything.
All of which lends a bit of credibility to the rumors that came out this week of a looming trade centering around him between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Dolphins.
“Would not be surprised if [Brady] didn’t play for [the Buccaneers next season,” insider Dale Arnold reported. “Try a little further South.”
Why is this notable? Because Arnold was the first guy to break Brady-to-Tampa two years ago.
After his initial report went mega-viral, Arnold went on WEEI radio and revealed that he has heard the parties are “working on it.”
.@DaleEArnold tweeted this afternoon he “wouldn’t be surprised” if Tom Brady goes to the Miami Dolphins this season
Dale tells us he is hearing the parties are “working on it”
Remember: Dale was the first to report Brady to Tampa was a done deal pic.twitter.com/NN46dssrI2
— Merloni & Fauria (@MerloniFauria) March 24, 2022
Mind you, the Dolphins just signed Tyreek Hill to a massive $120 million deal. Is that so Tua Tagovailoa can have someone besides Jaylen Waddle to throw to? Maybe. But it certainly feels like they’re trying to build something.
Factor in Rob Gronkowski’s weird trepidation about returning to the Buccaneers, and you suddenly start seeing a pattern emerge.
And then there was also super agent Drew Rosenhaus’ recent comment about what was to come in this NFL offseason:
Drew Rosenhaus says there will “absolutely” be more bombshell moves, trades this offseason. 👀
— David Furones (@DavidFurones_) March 24, 2022
Brady is a fickle guy. Between his son’s weird gang signs controversy and his strange beef with Bucs coaches, it’s something of an open secret that his last weeks in Tampa Bay didn’t go well last year.
Will that result in him landing with Miami? It’s unclear.
Kenny Pickett’s girl has now weighed in on his tiny, tiny hands. https://t.co/Qe71kOB6n8
— Game 7 (@game7__) March 24, 2022
But where there’s smoke, there’s fire.
And there’s definitely smoke here.
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A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
