Despite the global spread of the coronavirus, the National Football League is set to open its league year this week as planned. Over the weekend, the NFL Players’ Association ratified the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, which calls for a 17-game regular season and an expanded postseason format, along with a shorter preseason. One of the biggest questions that remains unresolved is the future of free agent quarterback Tom Brady. He has played all 20 of his pro seasons with the New England Patriots. Free agency is set to open on March 18. Will Brady continue his career in New England? Or will he follow in the footsteps of a number of other NFL icons? Remember — Johnny Unitas finished his career as a San Diego Charger after becoming one of the iconic members of the (then) Baltimore Colts. Brett Favre followed up his run in Green Bay with stints as a New York Jet and a Minnesota Viking. Joe Montana, long known for his heroics in San Francisco, finished his career with two playoff seasons in Kansas City — so the list is long. Check out the online NFL odds for Brady ending up in different locales next season.
NFL: Where Will Tom Brady Sign in 2020?
Team Odds to Sign Tom Brady in 2020
- New England Patriots -250
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers +170
- Los Angeles Chargers +650
- San Francisco 49ers +1300
- Las Vegas Raiders +1500
- Miami Dolphins +2200
- No Team (Retired) +2900
- Indianapolis Colts, New York Giants +4000
The first question you have to ask is why Tom Brady would ever leave New England? Bill Belichick has been a master of assembling teams around Brady that just win. Running backs come and go. So do the wide receivers and tight ends, with Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski the only two long-term pieces around Brady in the offense. The defense is a collection of moving parts that seems to change each year, as Belichick can assemble quality rosters year in and year out. Brady has won six world championships in twenty seasons. So why would he leave? New England Patriots still have the higher odds to sign Tom Brady in 2020 with -250
One argument is that he has already accomplished everything in New England that he can. Yes, he has those six Lombardi Trophies. But did you see last year? He was releasing the ball faster than ever before, attempting shorter passes because he was worried about taking contact. The Tennessee Titans were able to exploit that tendency (and bottle up the running game) in their shocking win at Gillette Stadium in the wild-card round of last season’s playoffs.
Another is that he wants to see what he can accomplish outside the Patriot Way. If he starts over somewhere else, he becomes that underdog again and only has his own system — the TB12 system — to lean on.
Finally, the Patriots were not that good last year. Can Belichick put together a better roster this year? Brady has already indicated that he will not give the Pats a hometown discount, so he’ll be eating up a lot of that salary cap.
So why would Brady go to Tampa Bay? NBC analyst Chris Simms thinks that the Buccaneers and the Patriots are the two teams left dueling for his services next year. Tampa Bay has over $80 million in salary cap space and would likely offer Brady about $30 million. The Buccaneers may also offer Brady a great deal of input on building the best of the roster and a place in the front office after he retires.
The Chargers are another intriguing destination. Yes, they were the place where Johnny U played a forgettable last season, but they have some talent in place. With Melvin Gordon at tailback, with speed at wide receiver and with a hungry defense, they would do well with a quarterback who doesn’t throw backbreaking interceptions like Philip Rivers does.
San Francisco was reportedly Brady’s first choice after New England. However, the 49ers appear happy with Jimmy Garoppolo leading the offense — and why not? They just went to a Super Bowl with Jimmy G.
The other teams on the list are all looking desperately for quarterback help. Dallas just came off the list after reports that the Cowboys were planning to stick the franchise tag on Dak Prescott, and the Titans took themselves out of the running after signing Ryan Tannehill to a big extension. So for now, the list is dwindling — but if you end up on the right end of this wager, you could make money off TB12’s next contract.
