Not terribly long ago, the Buccaneers might have thought they only had an outside shot at acquiring Tom Brady.
But as the official start of NFL free agency neared, Tampa Bay surely realized it was a very distinct possibility.
As we since have learned, Brady’s market wasn’t nearly as robust as most initially expected it to be. In fact, only the Bucs and Los Angeles Chargers reportedly made formal offers to Brady, who apparently wasn’t keen on returning to New England.
So, when Tampa Bay first reached out to Brady’s camp, the call unsurprisingly was met with an enthusiastic reception.
” ‘You made a very good decision to call,’ ” agent Don Yee told the Bucs, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. “And that conversation led the Bucs to believe that money wasn’t really a huge of concern of Brady’s — mostly because it didn’t come up in that initial talk. In fact, all Yee said was that there were boxes that needed to be checked, and Tampa appeared to be checking them.”
Not only was money not near the top of Brady’s priority list. His list of demands wasn’t much of a list at all. The six-time Super Bowl champion reportedly only had one request upon joining the Bucs: to receive all of his new teammates’ phone numbers.
With the greatest quarterback of all time now aboard, Tampa Bay finds itself in great position to reach the postseason for the first time since 2007.
