Tom Brady recently revealed he took a page out of Peyton Manning’s book in order to improve the Patriots offense. Is there a chance TB12 will go back to the well when he hits the open market?
Brady in March will become a free agent for the first time in his NFL career. It feels fair to assume the 42-year-old likely would only be interested in playing for a legitimate Super Bowl contender at this stage in his career, but outside of that, his free agency preferences are uncertain. History has shown earning top dollar isn’t a dealbreaker for the future Hall of Famer.
With this in mind, NBC Sports’ Mike Florio floated an idea on what might appeal to Brady as he figures out his next step.
“I think we need to watch the Peyton Manning scenario where he goes to a team that says, ‘Here, you run the offense. You do what you want. You’re 40 years old — 43 he’s going to be — you’ve been in the league all these years. You’re as smart as any offensive coach. You do it,'” Florio said. “I think he wants to show he can do that and I think the Patriots may be bracing for him making that kind of decision.”
Florio could be on to something, but there aren’t many teams out there that both need a quarterback and would be willing to give Brady the keys to the car. The Los Angeles Chargers probably fit this bill, especially as they head into their new stadium, but their Super Bowl aspirations over the next few seasons currently look fair at best.
As such, it wouldn’t be terribly shocking to see Brady wind up back in New England despite all the chatter suggesting otherwise.
