It seems rather unlikely Tom Brady plays for any team other than the Patriots in the final years of his NFL career.
But what’s the harm in projecting where the future Hall of Fame quarterback might end up if he ever were to leave New England?
For starters, the list of logical landing spots for Brady probably isn’t very long. He’ll turn 43 shortly before the start of the 2020 season, and at this stage in his career, he likely only would be open to playing for a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Most of the league’s top teams, however, already are well set at the quarterback position.
But come next offseason, Florio sees a scenario in which two NFC powerhouses could be in the market for a signal-caller.
“The only team that I thought was viable was the Saints. If Drew Brees is gone after this year, you’ve got the defense, you’ve got the coaching staff, you’ve got an NFC South division that isn’t really all that great where you look around and see where things are right now,” Florio said. ” … The other team, and this is one I’ve always thought of with Tom Brady, and we don’t think of it now because all the talk has died down about Jimmy Garoppolo being in a make-or-break season, but even though the 49ers are 6-0, Garoppolo is not having a great year. He’s like 27th in average passing yards per game. He’s got seven touchdown passes, six interceptions. His passer rating is low in comparison to other quarterbacks. Remember, when they (49ers) made the phone call two years ago that ultimately resulted in Jimmy Garoppolo becoming a 49er, the first question from John Lynch to Bill Belichick was, ‘Can we trade for Tom Brady?’ So, you throw in he grew up in the area, he was a 49ers fan, he was at ‘The Catch’ game and if there really is any type of something between him and Jimmy Garoppolo, wouldn’t that be the ultimate power play to tap Jimmy Garoppolo on the shoulder and say, ‘Alright, daddy’s home. I’m taking over.’ Aren’t the 49ers basically the Patriots in the NFC right now?”
Again, the likelihood of Brady wearing a Saints or 49ers uniform next season probably is very slim. That said, Florio’s hypotheticals by no means are ludicrous, and we probably should know by now to expect the unexpected in the NFL.
But if Brady still is capable of playing at a high level ahead of what would be his 21st season, one has to imagine the Patriots will do what it takes to put the greatest player in the history of their franchise under contract.
