Did we get closer to Tom Brady, Miami Dolphins quarterback, this week?
Brady retired earlier this offseason and on a couple of occasions reiterated the point. But he claimed as much last year before returning for another season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, too, so people apparently will keep asking.
Speaking at the eMerge Americas conference in Miami, Brady was asked whether he'd consider coming out of retirement to play for the Dolphins. He danced around the question, but he certainly didn't say no.
"I will say, now that I'm not affiliated with any team anymore, I had strong ties with a couple of teams," Brady said on stage, as seen in a video shared by Brendan Kaminsky on Twitter. "I do have some friends on the Dolphins that I really like. I wouldn't say I necessarily root for them all the time. But I root for my friends to do well and several of them play for Miami."
It's a far cry from an "I'm back" fax, but Brady has to know that anything short of "I'm never going to play professional football again" will be met with a certain reaction.
That it's the Dolphins also looms quite large in this entire ordeal. Miami wanted Brady to play quarterback, and the feeling might have been mutual. We know this because the NFL disciplined the Dolphins for tampering with Brady when he was still under contract with the New England Patriots. Brady's connection to owner Stephen Ross is well-known, too.
But what really gives this some juice is the Dolphins' precarious quarterback situation. Miami had one of the NFL's most talented rosters in 2022, and when Tua Tagovailoa was healthy, Miami looked like a potential Super Bowl contender. A couple of terrifying concussions ended his season, though, and the Fins floundered in the playoffs with Skylar Thompson under center. Tagovailoa just this week said he considered retirement. One more bad hit could spell the end of his promising young career.
If that happens this season, especially knowing superstar wideout Tyreek Hill's playing days might also be limited, Miami would have to at least consider giving Brady a call. If they do, it sounds like Brady would at least be willing to listen. They are his friends, after all.
