Tom Brady will be a free agent this upcoming season. Former NFL star quarterback Carson Palmer believes Brady would be wise to look around at other teams.
Carson Palmer knows a thing or two about being the face of a franchise. He won a Heisman Trophy in college playing for Pete Carroll at USC in 2002, parlaying that into being the No. 1 pick by the Cincinnati Bengals in the following NFL Draft. He would then star in Cincinnati before playing briefly with the Oakland Raiders and then finishing his illustrious career with the Arizona Cardinals.
In short, Palmer knows the value a change of scenery can do, and that’s why he’s advocating New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady to do his due diligence and seriously look at other teams in his impending free agency. Brady is 42-years-old and wants to play until he’s 45 in the NFL. The question remains if it will be with the Patriots franchise or with someone else.
“If I was Tom Brady at 43, I’d be sniffing around other teams that have a legit No. 1 receiver, a really good No. 2 receiver, a solid three, a dynamite tight end and a big horse in the backfield at tailback,” said Palmer to FanSided‘s Mark Carman on behalf of the FedEx Air & Ground NFL Player of the Year Awards.
“I’d be looking around to surround myself with as much talent as possible, knowing that I don’t quite have the same zip or the same velocity. I’m going to need a really, really good offensive line to give me time in the pocket. So I think he’s sniffing around. In the next couple of months, his agent is going to reach out to different GMs and owners to see what the interest level is.”
If Brady does leave New England after 20 years, Palmer thinks an offense like the Los Angeles Chargers could be a good fit for him. They have so many weapons and the Chargers could use an upgrade at quarterback over an aging Philip Rivers. Is it in Brady’s best interest to look around at other teams? Yes, but Palmer does find it odd that both parties haven’t agreed to a new deal yet.
“Well, I just think it’s odd that the owner talks about how much he loves him and how he wants him back,” said Palmer about the situation. “Brady came out today and said he’s not done, he’s got something left in the tank. It seems like an obvious fit to re-sign him, but it hasn’t happened yet.”
“And it’s a no-brainer to re-sign him, right? There’s just something fishy, whether it’s Bill Belichick or [Robert] Kraft disagreeing on it, whether it’s Brady saying, ‘you know what? I’m not going into another season without [Rob Gronkowski] and with Julian Edelman as my No. 1 target.’ You can’t quite tell what’s going on right now.”
Palmer would finish the Patriots’ part of his conversation with Carman, citing it’ll be an interesting next few months because Brady clearly wants to play, but how sure are we that he wants to continue with the Patriots? If Brady wants more money, a change of scenery and a new cast of characters to work with, then maybe he does opt to leave New England after 20 NFL seasons?
Palmer spoke with FanSided’s Mark Carman on behalf of the FedEx Air & Ground NFL Player of the Year Awards. Fans can vote for the best quarterback and running back of the season via a poll on the NFL Twitter page and at NFL.com/FedEx. Fans can also join in the conversation on Twitter using #AirandGround. Voting is open and will close on Thursday, Jan. 30, at 3.00 p.m. ET.