As the NFL offseason got underway, it was difficult to imagine Tom Brady in any other jersey than the one he’d worn since 2000.
Even someone intently vying for Brady’s services was having a tough time picturing the six-time Super Bowl champion leaving the New England Patriots.
Well, that’s exactly what Brady did, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ultimately were the victors of the TB12 sweepstakes. While the Bucs soon realized after speaking with Brady they had a real chance of signing him, one fear stayed in the back of general manager Jason Licht’s mind.
“Like many former New England coaches and executives, Licht figured Brady would decide at the last minute to resist the temptation to leave, sign back up with the only coach and program he has known for two decades, and ultimately retire a one-uniform icon,” Ian O’Connor wrote in a column for ESPN. ‘”Oh, definitely,” Licht told O’Connor. ‘I had thought that several times.'”
We only can imagine how Licht and the rest of the Buccaneers organization felt when Brady finally put pen to paper. With the greatest quarterback of all time now on board, Tampa Bay is primed to halt its lengthy postseason drought.
