Some football pundits and fans alike will tell you they saw a decline in Tom Brady’s game in recent seasons.
Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht isn’t sure what those folks were watching.
Tampa Bay had plenty of quarterback options this offseason, but it elected to sign the 42-year-old Brady over the likes of Teddy Bridgewater, their own Jameis Winston or a quarterback prospect in this year’s draft class. Licht offered some insight into his team’s decision by shedding light on the Bucs’ takeaways from Brady’s film review.
“The tape, to us, showed he had plenty of arm. In fact, we thought that he had an ideal arm for Bruce (Arians) in his system,” Licht said Monday on ESPN’s “Get Up.” “He can still throw it deep. We felt like the mobility was still the same as he’s always had, which, he’s never been able to outrun anybody, but he certainly is good in the pocket in terms of eluding pressure with his poise and his instincts. We did not see a decline in his arm talent whatsoever. In fact, we feel like he could still play for over two years for us, and hopefully, that’s the case.”
Bucs GM Jason Licht said that in his first phone call with Tom Brady, Brady was actually the one giving THEM the sales pitch on why he should go to Tampa Bay. pic.twitter.com/o2LcUZas9k
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) March 30, 2020
Upon being satisfied with what they saw on tape, it was time for the Buccaneers to prepare their pitch to Brady. But as Licht since has explained, it was the six-time Super Bowl champion doing more of the selling when the sides first got in touch.
