Pro Football Talk reported that teams who spoke with Tom Brady believe that he wants to play with Antonio Brown. The rumor mills are always at a full churn during the off-season, and with all eyes on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the first time since 2002, expect nothing less.
Brady has been open about his support for Brown, most recently responding to a tweet by the wide receiver, who seemingly was apologetic for his recent off-field antics. When Brady took to his Instagram to thank the New England Patriots organization, Brown returned the support by simply posting a goat emoji.
Wording around the deal that was pitched to Brady was he would be receiving a “God offer” allowing him input for personnel. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Brady hasn’t signed the contract due to difficult language, namely in getting a physical during the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving the details of the deal unknown. Schefter also said this morning that Brady has brought the LeBron James effect to the Buccaneers as a high numbers of players have called about playing for the team this season.
The Buccaneers have some areas to address before the regular season starts, and wide receiver is certainly not one of them. However, if the Buccaneers can bring in a superstar like Antonio Brown –without the drama– it’s worth taking a look. Coach Bruce Arians was on Schefter’s podcast in January 2019 and spoke about Brown, whom he coached for two seasons as the offensive coordinator with the Pittsburgh Steelers. “There’s too much miscommunication, too much…diva,” Arians said.
Failing to reach a contract agreement with the Steelers, Brown was traded to the Oakland Raiders on March 10, 2019. Ultimately, Brown signed a 3-year $50 million deal with the Raiders before it all fell apart on September 7, 2019 and he was released. Subsequently, he was picked up by the Patriots on a 1-year $15 million deal, before being released when sexual assault allegations surfaced. This has left Brown with possibly the lowest market value of his career, meaning a lower offer from the Buccaneers could be a viable option.
Whether there is any merit of truth to the reports, a hypothetical wide receiving corps of Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Brown catching passes from arguably the greatest quarterback of all-time will be nothing short of a pick your poison for opposing defenses.
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