As we near the 2020 offseason of the NFL, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots are in a situation they have never delved in before. Brady is a free agent come March 18. And although there is a strong chance he returns, other teams will be vying for his services. Here is a look at one of the teams that could be interested in Brady’s services. Should Brady consider signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers?
Case for Brady signing with the Steelers
Pittsburgh is well-ran organization that flexed its muscles in that area this season, when they were treading water at 8-5 under perhaps the worst quarterback room in the league, before missing the postseason thanks to a December swoon.
This is a credit to Mike Tomlin, who’s no-time-for-b*ll sh*t attitude is similar to Bill Belichick’s. Under Tomlin, the Steelers have one of the league’s very best defenses that should only improve with young starts like T.J. Watt, Devin Bush and Minkah Fitzpatrick.
On offense, Pittsburgh sports one of the league’s better offensive lines, but is in need of one or two more playmakers. JuJu Smith-Schuster is an excellent X-type receiver option with slot ability, but has struggled some as the team’s No. 1 receiver, while James Connor’s has cooled down as the team’s starting running back.
Luckily for Pittsburgh, they draft skill-position players well, particularly wide receivers. With James Washington and Dionte Johnson already showing upside, the Steelers can attempt to draft a receiver or two in what looks to be the best wide receiver draft class in recent memory, to help build an offense around Brady that would compliment their top-five defense.
All this would depend on Ben Roethlisberger retiring, of course, which is not out of the question. He’s severely beat up and will need surgery on his right elbow yet again. But this is unlikely.
Then again, Pittsburgh could decide they have a better chance at winning a Super Bowl with a healthy 43-year-old Brady than a beat-up 38-year-old Roerthlisberger, and jettison Big Ben in favor of signing Brady.
Case against Brady signing with the Steelers
The Steelers are in some salary cap trouble.
Pittsburgh enters this offseason with roughly just $1.4 million in cap space, according to Over The Cap.
The Steelers can cut ties with a few veterans to create some space to attempt to lure Brady, but they also have several key free agents, most notably EDGE rusher Bud Dupree, who has helped form a successful tandom with T.J. Watt.
Even if Pittsburgh opts to sign none of their major free agents, and do all they can for cap relief, they still may not have enough to give Brady the deal he wants.
Also, with hopes lying with the draft to build their offense, this means Brady is going to work with more inexperienced pro pass catchers, as opposed to veterans.
Additionally, Brady would be leaving the Patriots for one of their biggest rivals, and would compete in a conference with them and the loaded Kansas City Chiefs, while battling the Baltimore Ravens in the division.
How good is the fit?
Had the Steelers had the cap room to give this a realistic shot, it would be one of the more underrated fits for Brady this offseason. But alas, the Steelers are cap-strapped. And playing with a band of unproven youngsters, even if those players were all drafted by the Steelers — a team that almost always hits on their draft picks on offense — is not the most ideal fit for Tom.
Fit: 4 out of 10