NFL Rumors: Who Tom Brady Initially Wanted To Sign With In Free Agency

Tom Brady likely couldn’t be happier about his decision to join the Buccaneers after 20 seasons with the New England Patriots.

But according to Seth Wickersham’s new book, Tampa Bay initially didn’t sit atop Brady’s list of preferred landing spots.

As NBC Sports Bay Area pointed out in a column published Thursday, “It’s Better To Be Feared” sheds light on where Brady’s head was at shortly after he wrapped up his final season in Foxboro. According to Wickersham, Brady called Wes Welker, a longtime favorite target who now serves as the 49ers’ wide receivers coach, after Super Bowl LIV and told him he would finish his storied career in San Francisco if the team was interested.

Here’s an excerpt from the book, per NBC Sports Bay Area:

“…No free-agency tour, no bidding war, full stop; he would end his career where his love of football began, in scarlet and gold, allowing his parents to drive to (his) games for the first time since the 1990s…”

The 49ers reportedly were made aware of Brady’s interest, but their coaches ultimately deemed he wasn’t much better than Jimmy Garoppolo at this stage in both quarterback’s careers.

Brady, of course, won his seventh career Super Bowl in his first season with Tampa Bay. After another injury-plagued season for Garoppolo, San Francisco traded up for the third pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and selected quarterback Trey Lance.