Former Buccaneers' QB Tom Brady Doesn't Entirely Rule Out Playing for Miami Dolphins
Future Hall of Famer and former Buccaneers star quarterback Tom Brady announced his decision to retire from football for the second time back in February. With that being said, Brady has already thrown his hat back into the ring once and that has many around the world of professional football wondering if he could make another comeback.
Notably, Brady's contract with Tampa Bay expired at the conclusion of the 2022-23 season. That means he's technically in control of his rights and could suit up for any franchise in the event that Brady decides he's actually not done just yet. This leads us to the point of this story.
READ MORE: Devin White continues to throw shade at the Buccaneers
On Thursday, Brady was the Keynote Speaker at eMerge Americas 2023 conference. During a Q&A portion of the event, he was asked if he would consider coming out of retirement and playing for the Miami Dolphins. After all, Brady is now a resident of the 305.
His answer was interesting, to say the least. With a chance to shut the door on the Dolphins and returning to football (again), Brady instead deflected while noting that he's not affiliated with "any team" at this time.
"Oh man. Well, I will say now that I'm not affiliated with any team even more and even though I have strong ties with a couple teams, I do have some friends on the Dolphins that I really look. 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."
This only gets more intriguing when you consider that there is a history between Brady and the Miami Dolphins. Last year, the NFL fined the franchise $1.5 million and took away its 2023 first-round draft pick following an investigation into tampering allegations. The league concluded that the Dolphins violated the integrity of the game after the team had conversations with Tom Brady and Sean Payton's agent on multiple occasions from 2019 to 2022.
Miami possesses a talented starting quarterback in Tua Tagovailoa but the former Alabama star has struggled to stay healthy as of late. Tagovailoa suffered multiple concussions last year and was unable to play in the postseason as Miami came up short in the Wild Card round.
READ MORE: Seattle Seahawks Cut Former Buccaneers Running Back, Super Bowl Champion
Whether Brady just doesn't want to disappoint people or if he's really considering a return to the game, his lack of directness makes his mindset unclear. He might be happy with retirement for the time being but at some point, Brady is going to have to face his competitive personality and clearly define his next route.
The Seven-Time Super Bowl Champion has thrown for 89,214 yards and 649 touchdown passes during his 23-year career.
Stick with BucsGameday and the Locked On Bucs podcast for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the season.
