Tom Brady announced that he would be leaving the Patriots early Tuesday morning and immediately the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were mentioned as a potential landing spot. Now, it looks like TB12 will be heading to TB according to reports:
Tampa is the expected landing spot for Tom Brady barring anything unforeseen, sources tell me and @JeffDarlington.
There's no signing date or announcement officially set up, but Brady is expected to be a Buccaneer.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 17, 2020
To be clear: Former #Patriots QB Tom Brady has an agreement in principle to join the #Bucs, source said. It is believed to be roughly $30M per year.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 17, 2020
As mentioned, nothing is official just yet, but with the announcement that Brady would not return to the Patriots and a report that the Los Angeles Chargers were out of the race, it left only one team as Brady’s next destination.
The Chargers made a serious run at Brady, but, barring a change of heart by the quarterback, the team believes it is out of the running for him.
— Jim Trotter (@JimTrotter_NFL) March 17, 2020
The Buccaneers check every box that Brady was reportedly looking for according to Jeff Darlington.
1. A collaborative coach.
2. An underrated roster stocked with weapons on offense and a trending defense.
3. Warm weather.
4. Proximity to NYC.
The Bucs check the boxes.
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) March 17, 2020
Brady’s deal will likely be for more than one year, and the $30 million per annum is a nice raise for someone who has taken less than market value in his previous deals.
Brady will now have two weapons on the outside in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin and threats at tight end with Cameron Brate and O.J. Howard. He’ll also have a good defense that ranked fifth in defensive DVOA in 2019.
Landing Brady will put the Bucs on primetime a lot next year. There are some great quarterback matchups on Tampa Bay’s schedule.
Brady will get two games against Brees, and one game each against Rodgers and Mahomes
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) March 17, 2020
Final details of the deal have not been reported and won’t be until Brady and the Bucs officially announce the deal.