The Buccaneers obviously wanted Tom Brady, but Tampa Bay’s desire for a marriage with the 42-year-old quarterback might have been surpassed by Brady himself.
During an appearance Monday on ESPN’s “Get Up!” program, Bucs general manager Jason Licht revealed details about his initial phone call with Brady. Prepared to sell Brady on life in Tampa, Licht soon realized the future Hall of Famer was more than ready to leave the New England Patriots.
“As soon as Wednesday rolled around and we were able to talk to Tom Brady, we had a great conversation,” Licht said. “Bruce (Arians) and I, we talked to him for over an hour and a half, and he made it clear in the conversation that he was very, very interested. It was almost like a recruitment on his part telling us why it would make sense for him to come to Tampa Bay. And the following day we signed him, but it was at the phone call that we realized, we felt like we had him.”
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
It will be strange to see Brady in a Bucs jersey, to say the least. However, given Tampa’s plethora of offensive weapons, it could be a match made in heaven.
Just don’t tell that to Nick Wright, who apparently believes Brady could be the worst quarterback in the NFC South.