Tom Brady just wouldn’t look right in another jersey.
ESPN’s Field Yates on Monday named the New England Patriots as the legendary quarterback’s “best fit” in free agency in 2020. Brady’s contract will expire after this season, and rumors claiming this season will be his last in New England have persisted for months. However, Yates believes Brady’s competitive fire will weld him and the Patriots together for a 21st season.
“Brady has a chance to reach the open market for the first time in his career, leading to speculation as to whether he would head elsewhere for the final stages of his career,” Yates wrote. “Although such a move is possible, staying in New England allows Brady a chance to continue to compete at the highest level and cement his legacy as a rare player who plays for the same team throughout his career. It would make sense for both the player and the team to negotiate another one-year extension that allows him to play into his age-43 season in Foxborough, Massachusetts.”
Brady has insisted all season his focus solely is on trying to win another Super Bowl with the Patriots and he hasn’t given much, if any, thought about his plans for 2020 and beyond.
However, that hasn’t stopped NFL observers from speculating about his future nonstop. ESPN analysts like Yates and ESPN Mike Reiss contend Brady will return to New England in 2020, while CBS’ Jason La Canfora and ESPN’s Bill Barnwell respectively claim Brady will return to his home state of California to play for the Los Angeles Chargers or San Francisco 49ers.
Plenty of football remains to be played in the 2019 NFL season, and Brady almost certainly won’t tip his hand before next year. Until he does, we’ll have to feed on pundits’ and analysts’ predictions to satisfy our cravings for rumors about the GOAT.
