Frontrunners To Sign Tom Brady Revealed By ESPN
Frontrunners To Sign Tom Brady Revealed By ESPN
Frontrunners To Sign Tom Brady Revealed By ESPN
The frontrunners to sign Tom Brady were revealed by ESPN recently.
In a fascinating segment, Brady’s future become a point of conversation.
ESPN NFL insider Jeff Darlington appeared on Adam Schefter’s NFL podcast and suggested that there were two favorites to ultimately sign Brady.
In his estimation, neither is the New England Patriots.
According to Darlington, the 42-year-old will likely sign with one of two AFC teams on the rise: the Las Vegas Raiders or Tennessee Titans.
“I put the Titans and (Las Vegas) Raiders, right now, as the frontrunners for Tom Brady’s services,” he said.
“Tennessee has to be considered one of the bright spots when you look at what Tom Brady is looking for in free agency.
“Whether it is the team itself and what they possess personnel-wise, whether it is the ability to potentially collaborate with the head coach and have some say in both game-planning and personnel,” he continued.
“I quite frankly think the Tennessee Titans make a lot of sense for Tom Brady.”
The logic as far as the Titans go is clear. Brady got a firsthand view of just how strong the team is this past year when his Patriots lost to them in the AFC Wild Card Game.
Brady’s relationship with Titans head coach Mike Vrabel is a matter of public record, and running back Derrick Henry would likely instantly become the most talented supporting offensive piece Brady has had since tight end Rob Gronkowski.
Similarly, there is a certain amount of logic to Las Vegas being a contender for Brady – sort of.
The city is on the West Coast, close to where the future Hall of Famer wants to settle down post-NFL career. Plus, he seems to have a positive relationship with various members of Raiders management.
That said, it is still hard to really see a scenario where Brady chooses either one of those teams over the one he has played his entire career with.
As cities, neither Nashville nor Las Vegas being enough to the table to lure Brady away from the Boston area.
And as far as football goes, neither organization really offers Brady a clearer path to the Super Bowl than the Patriots would.
Sure, the Titans did really well this past season. But that was one year. Flukes happen. The Patriots have put together a history of sustained excellence over the past two decades.
More likely than not, Brady is simply using his looming free agency as a way to get some things he wants out of Bill Belichick and Co.
First and foremost, he likely wants to be compensated fairly in what will likely be the last NFL contract of his career. After giving money back to the organization so that it could acquire supporting pieces for years, Brady wants to finally get his. That is understandable.
Secondly, he likely wants some help. At 42, Brady is no longer able to single-handedly carry an offense to the Super Bowl the way he used to. He needs capable pieces on offense to alleviate his work load, and that is something the Patriots have not provided him with since Gronkowski’s retirement.
If New England goes out and acquires some combination of A.J. Green, Emmanuel Sanders, Stefon Diggs and Hunter Henry, Brady would happily take the $30 million annually he will get from Belichick and come back for one more run at a title.
For all the talk and hoopla, the likeliest scenario remains that next season Brady will return to the only team he has called home since he became a pro.
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A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
