FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – JANUARY 04: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots talks with the media during a press conference after the AFC Wild Card Playoff game against the Tennessee Titans at Gillette Stadium on January 04, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
It looks like Tom Brady is on his way to Tampa Bay, turning the NFL world upside down and creating some very interesting dynamics in the NFC.
The day began with Tom Brady announcing his intentions to leave the New England Patriots, and it may well end with a new NFC powerhouse.
Brady is reportedly planning to continue his NFL career in central Florida as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
This is a very hefty salary for a 42-year-old quarterback, but the Buccaneers haven’t been to the playoffs in over a decade and are desperate to become relevant again. Brady will do just that, and the Buccaneers offer him everything New England couldn’t last season.
The Patriots only had Julian Edelman as a top-flight weapon, but Tampa Bay gives Brady an opportunity to toss the pigskin to Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and O.J. Howard among others. Head coach Bruce Arians no doubt grew frustrated with Jameis Winston’s turnover problems last year, but that will no longer be the case with the cerebral and efficient Brady around.
The biggest domino from this move involves the fact that Brady is switching conferences, taking the Patriots down from an AFC force into a team that will have to fight off the Buffalo Bills to win the division. Brady makes Tampa Bay a bona fide contender in the NFC South, which is in the midst of a down-cycle with Carolina rebuilding and Atlanta in flux after several key departures in free agency.
The Saints are still a loaded team, but they will now have to outduel Brady and the Bucs to retain NFC South supremacy. Brady has a great chance to get Tampa Bay back into the postseason, and once there it would be very difficult to count out one of the greatest playoff quarterbacks in NFL history.
There is a lot to be said for the long-term ripple effects of Brady going from New England to Tampa Bay, but we have entered a bold new world in the NFL. Nothing will be the same going forward, and that is going to make this season fascinating.