If you’re among those who were hoping for a Tom Brady-Patriots reunion this offseason, then Wednesday’s retirement announcement from the greatest quarterback in NFL history probably was a bummer.
Otherwise, New England and its fans should view Brady’s Wednesday morning farewell as good news for the Patriots.
ESPN’s Jeff Darlington reported that Brady ultimately was deciding between retiring or returning to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers; a free agency sweepstakes wasn’t in the cards. And that report probably is true, given Darlington’s track record of covering Brady.
However, many reporters over the last few weeks indicated a real chance of Brady continuing his playing career in 2023 while moving back to the AFC. The New York Jets, Miami Dolphins and Las Vegas Raiders all were reported as potential destinations.
Any such outcome would’ve been a tough pill to swallow for the Patriots.
New England swept the Jets this season — but just barely. New York’s defense is championship-ready, and the Jets arguably were just average quarterback play away from being real AFC contenders. Had Brady moved to the Meadowlands this spring, the Jets absolutely would’ve leapfrogged the Patriots in the AFC East pecking order. (And they still could, depending on what happens with Aaron Rodgers in the coming weeks.)
And the same is true for the Dolphins. Miami barely finished ahead of New England this season, but the reality is it has the superior roster and made the playoffs despite quarterback Tua Tagovailoa missing four games due to concussions. The Dolphins reportedly weren’t considering a run at Brady this offseason, but had the 45-year-old come knocking, would Mike McDaniel and company really not have opened the door?
We’ll see what happens this offseason, but some inevitably will argue that the Patriots will enter the 2023 season as the worst team in their division. Brady joining either the Dolphins or Jets would’ve ensured New England was a distant third — at best.
There also is something to be said for the optics of Brady joining a divisional rival and potentially sticking it to his former team twice a season. Outside of the ticket sales, would anybody in the Patriots front office really have loved the idea of Brady entering Gillette Stadium as a member of the Jets or Dolphins, let alone leaving with a victory?
Brady’s retirement should help everyone move on while preventing any further embarrassment of Bill Belichick and his middling team.
As for the Raiders, it kinda stinks that we won’t get to see the Patriots take on a Brady-Josh McDaniels pairing in 2023. New England is scheduled to visit Las Vegas sometime next season, and the presence of Brady would’ve made the game even more intriguing.
But the Raiders also could be battling with the Patriots for an AFC wild-card spot, with the head-to-head matchup potentially carrying huge playoff implications for both teams. Even if Vegas upgrades at quarterback this offseason, it’s hard to imagine McDaniels and Dave Ziegler adding anyone as good as Brady.
So, in totality, Brady’s long-awaited retirement is a positive development for New England. Now we’ll wait and see whether there will be an added bonus of a one-day contract and retirement ceremony at One Patriot Place.
