Zach Shackelford Calls Chance to Play with Tom Brady 'Surreal'

The former Longhorn is ready to make his mark with one of the most talked-about teams in football

As an undrafted free agent former Texas Longhorn Zach Shackelford got a few phone calls from teams inquiring about his services, but in the end it was one of the offseason's most talked-about teams that won him over. 

Shackelford chose the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in part because of their high-profile offseason moves, which Shackelford took as a sign of a franchise pushing all its chips to the middle of the table in an effort to win now. 

"We felt that they were in a position that they wanted to win and make the moves necessary to win," Shackelford told the Longhorn Network in a recent interview. "Obviously I'm pretty low on the totem pole, but I am going to work my way up and do everything I can to make that roster and help them win."

Shackelford may not have selected the Bucs specifically for the opportunity to be teammates with a future Hall of Famer like Brady, but he's excited about that possibility.

"He's obviously a tremendous leader and I look forward to learning from him and the other guys on the offensive line," Shackelford said. "It's pretty crazy that since I started playing football I've seen Tom Brady on TV so it will be pretty surreal to be in the same locker room with him."

It could be easy to get starstruck playing with a guy with 19 seasons, 74,571 passing yards, 541 touchdowns, 14 Pro Bowls, nine conference championship, six Super Bowl wins and four Super Bowl MVPs under his belt, but in the end Shackelford is approaching the whole situation as a business opportunity. 

"Man, I don't think I am gonna introduce myself," Shackelford laughed. "I am just gonna go in the locker room and be the hardest worker I can and soak up knowledge from everybody." 

The rest of the interview is loaded with great stuff from Shackelford about his time on the Forty Acres, his training regimen during quarantine and the legacy he wants to leave behind at Texas. Be sure to check it out below. 

To get the latest Texas Longhorns Posts posts as they happen, join the Texas Longhorns Community by clicking “Follow” at the top right corner of the page (mobile users can click the notifications bell icon), and follow Texas Longhorns SI on Twitter @LonghornsSI