Out of all the teams expected to be involved in the Tom Brady sweepstakes, the franchise arguably most inclined to pursue the star quarterback is being talked about the least.
While the Los Angeles Chargers, Las Vegas Raiders, Tennessee Titans and San Francisco 49ers are making Brady-related headlines on a daily basis, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers remain under the radar. This is despite forthright comments made at the NFL Scouting Combine by head coach Bruce Arians, who noted Brady is the type of player who would motivate him to pick up the phone and make a call.
Tampa Bay’s interest in Brady might go beyond just kicking the tires, though.
“I talked to Tampa Bay. They would love to have Tom Brady,” ESPN’s Dianna Russini said Tuesday on “Get Up.” “They are willing to give Tom Brady the things he needs, he wants. Some of those things Brady wants: control over roster, he wants to be part of making decisions on the play calling. If you take a look at what Bruce Arians has done in the past with Ben Roethlisberger, they both have been very public about how BA’s let Ben call plays, so talk about a match made in heaven in terms of if that’s what Brady’s looking for. If he wants control, Bruce Arians is the guy he should match up with.”
In addition to the reasons Russini lists, Tampa Bay might be one of the few teams able to facilitate one of Brady’s potential desires. The future Hall of Famer reportedly has kept in touch with Antonio Brown since the wide receiver’s release from the Patriots, and at least one pundit has theorized Tampa Bay could be the right place for a TB12-AB reunion. It’s tough to imagine New England would have any interest in bringing back the problematic pass-catcher.
Unfortunately for the Bucs, they’re probably not the only team that would love to have Brady under center. We should soon discover who covets the 42-year-old the most, though, as the league’s legal tampering period is set to begin March 16.
