Report: Tom Brady Wanted to Bring Antonio Brown With Him To New Team

Several teams interested in quarterback Tom Brady during free agency were under the impression that Brady wanted to bring Antonio Brown with him to a new team, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero.

Brown was released by the Patriots after playing in just one game with them in 2019. He remains under investigation by the NFL under its personal conduct policy his former trainer Britney Taylor filed filed a lawsuit against him. She says that Brown sexually assaulted her. Sports Illustrated also reported another allegation of sexual misconduct by an artist who was working at his home in 2017.

In his one appearance for the Patriots, Brady connected with Brown for four catches, 56 yards and one touchdown.

Brady spent a lot of personal time with Brown when the wide receiver was adjusting to the Patriots. Shortly after the Patriots signed Brown, Brady was “a million percent in” on Brown joining the team and also offered to put the receiver up in his home

 At the NFL combine, ESPN's Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler reported that Brady has remained in communication with Brown and told him to stay mentally and physically strong so that they may reunite at his possible next stop. 

On Tuesday, Brady announced his decision to leave the Patriots after 20 years, where he won six Super Bowl rings. The Buccaneers are expected to sign Brady after NFL free agency opens on Wednesday afternoon.

Tampa Bay head coach Bruce Arians spent two seasons working with Antonio Brown as the offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers. In a podcast appearance with ESPN's Adam Schefter, he called Brown a "diva."

"I've heard so many stories -- I like Antonio -- he plays as hard as anybody on Sunday, and he practices hard," Arians said. "He's just gotta make better decisions off the field, be on time, do some of those little things."